Case study

Contemporary Orangery With Bespoke Rooflights Transforms Family Home

shows a large open room with an opening skylight and two chairs either side

Overview

Glazing Vision bespoke designed rooflights elevate this North London home, increasing levels of natural daylight and creating a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Details

Architect

Chris Dyson Architects

Products used

cat sat on black steps under fixed skylight on wooden roof terrace

Sliding Over Fixed Rooflight

box skylight on modern roof terrace with decking and large white pebbles

Free Standing Skybox Rooflight

The Brief

This elegant extension, designed by award-winning practice Chris Dyson Architects, not only significantly increases the footprint of the client’s North London home, but also delivers a uniquely versatile living space for use all year round. The pure scale and the innovative use of glazing for the extension as well as for the new top floor dormer cannot fail to impress, and yet the architectural language reflects the calm, understated style for which Chris Dyson Architects have become acclaimed. Bespoke rooflights, supplied by Glazing Vision, not only flood the ground floor with natural light, but they also help moderate the temperatures throughout the house.

The client was seeking to refresh the property by adding an extension to the rear, which would enable the existing ground floor spaces to be connected through a single flowing space.

The top floor bedrooms were accessed via a narrow hallway where a small dormer window provided minimal daylight and restricted views of the garden. Creating a living space on this floor where the family could relax and enjoy some downtime was also part of the client’s brief to Chris Dyson Architects.

large multi part skylight over a modern empty living room with oak floor and doors to the right

The Solution

The design for the extension was a solid and robust structure that would integrate harmoniously with the main body of the house and would serve as more than just a “sunroom”. The traditional proportions of the classic orangery have been achieved by Chris Dyson Architects through the use of precast stone columns and five glazed openings, which connect the new internal space with a raised external terrace leading to the rear garden.

New internal glazed doors enable the formal dining room and the breakfast room/kitchen to be opened or closed to the main orangery space, providing flexible spatial and acoustic barriers without compromising the natural light entering the entire area.

For entertaining and parties the space is ideal, allowing people to freely move between rooms and out onto the garden terrace.

The insulated walls and the energy efficient double-glazing of the orangery would serve to keep the space warm in the winter months. In the summer opening the doors would help keep the space comfortable. To further regulate the internal temperature a full width rooflight from Glazing Vision was installed, equipped with sliding elements. Chris Dyson Architects chose Glazing Vision due to the high quality of their products and their ability to create beautiful bespoke solutions.

The architects worked closely with Glazing Vision’s specialist CAD designers and technicians to design custom rooflights to meet the exacting requirements of the orangery roof as well as the new glazed dormer.

dining table underneath a large open skylight

Given the exceptional size of the extension roof, Glazing Vision’s factory precision-engineered a special Dual Sliding Over Fixed rooflight, comprising 8 sections. The 2 end sections were manufactured to slide over the 6 fixed central sections, traversing in a side-to-side, rather than an up-and-down slope operation.

With such a complex rooflight, with fixed and sliding sections, a quiet and efficient operation was fundamental to the specification. Electronically controlled at the touch of a button, each of the 2 sliding sections of glazing can be retracted easily, revealing generous openings, and sky-only views. An added safety feature is the manual override should the electronic control system stall.

Shows the direct opening of the skylight

On the top floor the existing narrow hall has been opened up and extended to create a new living space. The bespoke glazed dormer by Glazing Vision provides expansive views across the garden, and an abundance of natural light. A large Bi-parting 1-wall Box Rooflight, measuring 4850mm in the width, was set into the sloping roof. At a total height of 1700mm the rooflight also enhances the feeling of loft in this relaxation area.

Supplied in 6 sections, the Glazing Vision Box Rooflight was configured such that the 2 central sections were bi-parting, sliding over 2 adjacent fixed sections. Two additional fixed sections and 2 fixed end panels completed this fully glazed, customised dormer. In order to provide privacy from the neighbouring properties, and conform with Planning Regulations, these end panels were manufactured in satin etched glass.

Once the 2 sliding sections are retracted, there is a handsome opening, giving an almost balcony-like effect, and encouraging the user to appreciate the garden vista during the day and to delight in the starry landscape at night. The Glazing Vision Bi-parting 1-wall Box rooflight helps to regulate the temperatures and the air quality throughout this upper floor, allowing copious amounts of fresh air to circulate when it is open. Rain sensors, offered by Glazing Vision as optional extras, were also installed to provide additional security should the weather suddenly turn inclement.

Chris Dyson Architects are to be complimented on the sensitive integration of a contemporary orangery in this family home as well as on the bold extension of the top floor. Form and function are in perfect harmony and the Glazing Vision rooflights will ensure that there is an ever-changing canopy to the spaces below!

This project was shortlisted for the 2019 AJ Specification Awards, in the ‘Doors and Windows’ category.

For more information on Glazing Vision’s range of rooflights to suit a variety of applications, contact us here or request a CPD.

Talk to our Technical Specification Managers about your project

Our team will give you expert advice and guidance on:

The entire design and specification process
Our product range, including key considerations and optional extras
Our bespoke service

Technical Specification Manager details not found

We're sorry, but we couldn't find a Technical Specification Manager for this area.

We’ll find the best person for you to speak to and be in touch within one working day.

Thank you for your submission.

First Name

Last Name

Company

Phone

Enquiry

Please tick here to agree to our Data Privacy Policy

There is an issue with the information you have provided, please check the form and try again.

shows a terrace with a free standing skybox

Freestanding box rooflight installed in stylish penthouse

Glazing Vision’s free-standing box rooflights were key to the design of the Music Box penthouses in London, providing seamless access to private roof terraces, maximizing natural light, and enhancing views of the city skyline.

internal view of up and over kylight in modern dining room

Rooflights create seamless indoor-outdoor transition in contemporary family home

Two large bespoke rooflights from Glazing Vision seamlessly enhance this Derbyshire family home, flooding the contemporary kitchen with natural light while framing stunning countryside views.

Sliding-over fixed rooflight maximises light in mansard roof extension

After overcoming planning opposition, Robinson Leigh Architects successfully added a mansard roof extension to a London mews house, incorporating Glazing Vision rooflights to maximize natural light, enhance ventilation, and create a modern yet sympathetic design.

shows a white house in the sun showing the outside of a terrace

Sliding rooflight creates "wow" factor in new build property

RB Studio Architects transformed a dated 1960s home in Poole into a stunning contemporary upside-down house, featuring a central staircase leading to a rooftop terrace via a bespoke Glazing Vision sliding rooflight, offering abundant natural light and breathtaking views over Poole Harbour.