Dome Rooflights are flexible daylight solutions for commercial buildings

What is a Dome Rooflight?

A Dome Rooflight is a prefabricated and highly customisable daylight solution that can be provided with different glazing options. Comfort ventilation and SHEV can also be specified as part of a Dome Rooflight installation.

Dome Rooflights are multipurpose daylighting solutions and can be configured to suit any commercial, industrial and public building requirement. Optional accessories include comfort ventilation, SHEV, roof hatch access, fall-through protection, glare control and burglary protection. Our standard Dome Rooflights can be specified with glazing that ranges from single to five skins. Diffuse, bronze, clear, black and opal glazing are five materials available when choosing a VELUX Commercial Dome Rooflight.

A Dome Rooflight is supplied on an upstand and can be fixed directly onto the roof or to an existing upstand for maximum weatherproofing and quick closure of a building envelope. Dome Rooflights are lightweight and suitable for both old and new building projects. They are also compatible with flat or pitched roofs up to 15 degrees. Venting rooflights can be manually or electronically operated.

What is a Dome Rooflight made from? 

Dome Rooflights can be designed using several glazing materials. Glass, polycarbonate, and acrylic (PMMA), as well as hybrid that combines different materials are options. The right specification will be influenced by a roof structure and how a building functions and operates.

The type of glazing material chosen will dictate the benefits available as part of a Dome Rooflight solution. The addition of diffuse glazing helps control glare. Acrylic offers sun protection and polycarbonate materials provide harsh weather protection, such as hail and heavy rain resistance. A hybrid dome will increase sound performance, while aluminium lids can be used as part of a special Dome Rooflight specification. Aluminium lids are used in buildings where SHEV and comfort ventilation are required but not natural light e.g., concerts and events.

Upstands Support Safe and Efficient Installation

Dome upstands come in a range of sizes and materials that can be adapted to meet specific rooflight configurations. Several upstand types are available:

• Metal
• Wood
• GRP
• PVC

Dome Rooflights are compatible with all popular roofing membrane systems, including bituminous, plastic, elastomer or metal.

100 dome rooflights provide daylight through the roof at Thomas Buxton School

What type of Dome Rooflights are available?

There are a wide range of Dome Rooflights available to meet the daylight, ventilation, and safety needs of any commercial building type. Each dome solution offers different benefits dependant on the specification needs of a building project.

Standard Dome Rooflight

This is an ideal rooflight for standard use on flat roofs. There are a variety of shapes available with circular, rectangular, square and pyramid each allowing optimal daylight to enter a building space. There are over 50 standardised sizes available. These range from 50 x 100cm to as much as 200 x 300cm. Numerous accessories are available with Standard Dome Rooflights and can be specified with a range of certified SHEV solutions. Several glazing options are also available.

Standard Dome Rooflight Glazing Options:

• Acryllic (PMMA)
• Sun protection (heat stop)
• Dark top Polycarbonate (PC)
• Sun protection

The benefit of multi skin glazing includes the provision of thermal and sound insulation. If protection against wind and rain is needed, a Dome Rooflight with only 1 skin is the easiest, fastest, and most cost-effective option.  Two skins are well-suited to buildings with low heating. Three skins provide both sufficient thermal and sound insulation.

Hybrid Dome Solutions

A future-conscious solution, Hybrid Dome Solutions improve energy efficiency, sound insulation and safety with fall-through protection. The hybrid rooflight solution is available in three variants and can combine a Standard Dome Rooflight with insulation glass, a 16mm PC multiwall sheet or 8mm safety glass. These rooflights are mountable on all common upstands and come pre-assembled for easy installation.

PC Multiwall Dome Solutions 

Suitable for flat and pitched roofs up to 25° (SHEV up to 15°), PC Multiwall Dome Rooflights are available in various standard sizes that come with different primary functions that can include fixed and venting, as well as SHEV. This daylight solution is lightweight and easy to install making it well suited to refurbishment projects. These robust rooflights also include hail-resistant functionality.

Special Dome Solutions 

Special Dome Solutions with dark aluminium flaps support fresh air circulation and SHEV in commercial buildings where daylight is not a requirement. This rooflight is available in different variants, sizes and RAL colours and is fall-through safe due to the robust and durable material used.

Can you tell me about the benefits of a Dome Rooflight?

A Dome Rooflight is prefabricated for fast installation and can come with a variety of upstands to accommodate several roof structures. Prefabrication also means less time spent on the roof with safety accessories available to protect maintenance teams when accessing the roof.

Cost efficient daylight solutions such as Dome Rooflights offer thermal efficiency and provide daylight to improve occupant focus and increase productivity. How a Dome Rooflight functions will depend on what materials are chosen. Single-unit domes are particularly popular for their durability and high versatility.

A roof refurbishment at Almere Railway Station in the Netherlands includes clear polycarbonate glazing, allowing for more daylight to enter public spaces than previous opal-glazing. At Almere, each Dome Rooflight was built prefabricated, delivered onsite and installed onto the roof in a total of six sections. The design created striking patterns of daylight throughout a busy public building.

Daylight enters Almere Railway Station through the roof

Fall through protection is available when choosing specified materials and may be better suited in buildings where roof access and maintenance is required. It also may be a legal requirement in certain countries. Acoustic insulation, hail protection, and impact resistance are additional accessories when specifying a Dome Rooflight solution.

Rooflight additions can also include insect protection, shading, comfort and smoke and heat exhaustion ventilation. A Dome Rooflight can incorporate rain and wind sensors to automatically open and close before damage occurs. Flexible rooflight designs include glass, rectangle, circular and pyramid to suit almost any type of commercial building roof structure.

Find out more about how our range of Dome Rooflights are transforming old and new commercial buildings when you visit our product page.

Read more about Dome Rooflights in our product brochures.