I’ve been singing the praises of natural light of late, probably due to the impending end of summer and subsequent dark days to follow. Having seen what a total lack of sunlight can do (I grew up in Alaska), I am particularly interested in new ways of bringing natural light into a space. When strategically placed, skylights throw a more even light across a space than a normal window, which can help reduce artificial lighting and lower energy use.

The “No-Leak” skylight. Designed by Velux.

Skylights are not without their problems, aside from unwanted heat gain from overhead sun, they have a reputation for leakage that can bring a building/home owner to their knees. Leaks are not limited to water; air infiltration is the greatest source of wasted energy in a building envelope. A greener skylight is one that preserves the integrity of the exterior walls both from water and air leakage.

Velux has created a guaranteed “No-Leak” skylight that takes the fear out of installing skylights. The “No-Leak” skylight has three layers of water protection as well low-e glass for better energy efficiency, light transmittance and solar heat gain. Velux offers a fixed skylight, a manually opening skylight and an electrically operating skylight depending on the need for ventilation. With the guarantee of a well sealed skylight, the possible uses are endless, as there are few architectural situations where added light from the sky would not be welcome.