Rooflights can transform buildings – flooding spaces with natural light, improving ventilation and adding architectural appeal. However, all too often they are treated like any other glazing product or roof covering when, in reality, they require additional considerations and demand specific planning and competence.
Care, therefore, is required throughout the lifecycle of the rooflight in terms of design, installation, maintenance and removal/disposal. To successfully navigate these stages, architects, specifiers and contractors must be aware of the regulatory requirements. However, finding and understanding these requirements can be challenging. To combat this, we offer The Rooflight Association Quick Guide 06, a free-to-download quick reference tool which highlights key compliance checkpoints for rooflight projects.
The signposting document highlights the requirements for fire safety, thermal performance, daylighting, non-fragility, security, and requirements under the Construction Products Regulations. Each section provides a brief overview of the critical considerations and signposts formal guidance.
UPDATED FOR CURRENT REGULATIONS
The document has recently been updated to align with current regulations and to reduce ambiguity. For example, Fire Safety guidance has been updated to reflect the relevant changes to the Building Regulations for rooflights, and The Requirements for Thermal Performance now reference the methods of the BRE 443 document. Most notable is the inclusion of requirements under the Construction Products Regulations which lists the applicable harmonised standards for rooflight products. Details from the association’s ‘The Benefits of Rooflights for the Daylighting of Buildings’ white paper have also been added to the Requirements for Daylighting.
FOCUS ON FIRE SAFETY
For ease, associated guidance and further reading is signposted for each topic included in the Quick Guide 06. Let’s consider fire safety as an example. With fire safety now a fundamental pillar in modern architectural design and product specification, it’s important to highlight that, in terms of meeting the requirements of the Building Regulations, each nation offers individual guidance for fire safety of buildings.
While the details differ enough to warrant separate Rooflight Association guidance documents for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the fundamentals remain the same: limit fire spread through the roof, maintain compartmentation and control fire spreading to neighbouring buildings.
For rooflights, the requirements cover two main areas. Firstly, internal fire spread (lining performance), where the inner surface of the rooflight, facing the room below, is treated as a ceiling lining, and must meet minimum reaction to fire ratings. In addition, there are limitations on the proximity of some rooflight types to compartment walls. Secondly, external fire spread (roof surface performance) where rooflights must meet minimum external fire performance criteria to prevent penetration and spread of fire over the roof or to adjacent buildings.
However, there are some situations that are currently not regulated by Building Regulations. In the absence of such regulation or other guidance, our Technical Document NTD13 defines good practice measures. For example: increased requirements for thermal insulation mean that many rooflights (most plastic and some glass rooflights) now have more than two layers and the intermediate layer’s fire performance is not regulated by Building Regulations.
Where any intermediate layer has significant mass, it is recommended that the fire performance of that intermediate layer is at least as good as the required fire performance of either the inner or outer sheet (whichever is the lesser).
REDUCE REAL-WORLD RISK
Studying these documents and adopting good design practice, accurate specification and robust onsite construction methods will help address common issues and reduce real-world risk. Regulatory compliance is not simply a paperwork exercise – it is essential for protecting lives, proving competency and avoiding enforcement action, project delays and reputational damage.
For the best possible outcome, we recommend early engagement with a rooflight manufacturer, which can prevent costly mistakes and ensure compliance is embedded from the outset.
www.rooflightassociation.org