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Case study

St Catharine’s College: Enhancing Natural Light with Multi-Part Rooflight

A modern auditorium featuring rows of black chairs facing a wooden stage. The room has large windows with natural light streaming in, and a wooden table with chairs is set near the front. Walls are decorated with colorful panels.
Overview

The McGrath Centre is a modern multi-purpose building at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, designed to provide flexible spaces for meetings, lectures, performances and social events. A key feature is the auditorium, where RHP Architects aimed to create a spacious and positive environment for students and lecturers. To achieve this, Glazing Vision designed and manufactured a bespoke Flushglaze Multi-Part Rooflight, significantly increasing the amount of natural light entering the building while complementing the centre’s contemporary design.

Details

Status

Complete

Architect

RHP Architects
Products used
A modern, spacious room with light hardwood flooring and minimalist design. A large skylight in the ceiling allows natural light to enter, and a sleek staircase is visible in the background. Walls are painted white, enhancing the bright and airy atmosphere.
Flushglaze Fixed Multipart Rooflight
A modern roof design featuring a slanted skylight made of multiple glass panels, situated on a gray metal roof. The sunlight reflects off the glass, highlighting its geometric shape.

The Rooflight Spec

The large rooflight was designed with Okalux glass containing capillary tubes, which diffuse incoming daylight and reduce glare. This provides an even distribution of natural light throughout the auditorium, avoiding bright and dark areas while maintaining good thermal performance. Measuring approximately six metres by five metres, the rooflight also presented significant installation challenges because it had to be integrated precisely into the existing steel framework. A central steel flitch plate was used to support the rooflight, with ten individually shaped glass sections secured using aluminium angles.

A modern auditorium featuring rows of black chairs facing a wooden stage. The room has large windows with natural light streaming in, and a wooden table with chairs is set near the front. Walls are decorated with colorful panels.

The Result

The completed rooflight transformed the auditorium by creating a brighter, more spacious and dynamic learning environment. Because the building is located within a courtyard, sufficient natural light could not be achieved effectively from the sides, making the rooflight particularly important to the success of the project.

Overall, the McGrath Centre has enhanced the facilities available at St Catharine’s College and created an enjoyable and rewarding environment for education and community use.

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