Gallina Italy
Gallina USA
Daylight is the cheapest light a building can have. From offices and schools to factories and malls, well-designed skylights reduce the hours artificial lighting has to run and make interiors more pleasant to work in. The challenge is getting enough light in without letting in too much heat or glare.
Start with the right skylight area
The optimal skylight area, usually quantified as the effective aperture, varies with climate, latitude and the characteristics of the skylight itself – but it is usually 4–8% of the floor area. Too little and lights stay on; too much and you pay for it in cooling.
Choose the light transmission you need
Polycarbonate lets you tune how much light comes through. Clear 2-wall PoliCarb® sheets transmit up to 85% of light, an opal version around 50%, and bronze tints sit in between. For long continuous roofs, arcoPlus® modular panels range from 72% (clear, 4-wall) to 65% (clear, 6-wall). Opal and coloured sheets diffuse daylight evenly, which avoids bright patches on the floor below.
Control the heat
In Indian summers, heat is usually the limiting factor. Our IR line adds an infrared filter to the outer surface of PoliCarb®, PoliComp® and arcoPlus® products. It absorbs the infrared part of sunlight while letting visible light through. In side-by-side testing the internal temperature under an IR sheet stayed roughly 10–12°C lower than under a standard sheet.
Don't forget glare
In sports halls, pools, workshops and classrooms, direct sun on a translucent roof can cause glare. The AR anti-glare treatment is applied to the internal surface of arcoPlus® panels to remove specular reflection, so players, swimmers and workers can see clearly.
Checklist for your next skylight
- Size the skylight at roughly 4–8% of the floor area.
- Pick clear for maximum light, opal for even diffusion.
- Specify IR where solar heat gain is a concern.
- Add AR where people need visual comfort under the roof.
- Check the U value – thicker multiwall structures insulate better.
See more examples on our architectural daylighting page, or ask us to size a skylight for your building.