Mardome dome rooflights from Brett Martin Daylight Systems have helped reduce costs at the new Leeds East Academy in West Yorkshire while providing a brighter and healthier teaching environment.
Designed by Maber Architects, the 1,100-pupil school was constructed in just 60 weeks using a modern room pod system – free-standing and entirely structurally independent from the 8,450mý building envelope. Aiming to achieve a BREEAM rating of Very Good, the school required a number of sustainable initiatives to keep environmental impact and running costs to a minimum.
As well as a solar PV system, lighting controls and a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, around 17 Mardome Trade rooflights – 13 measuring 1800mm x 1800mm and four measuring 1500mm x 1500mm – were specified to provide free natural daylight in communal areas. The room pods achieve the standard required daylight factor of two, while the corridors and communal areas – which are top-lit from the Mardome rooflights – achieve a daylight factor of 5.5. This reduces demand for electric lighting while lowering CO2 emissions and running costs.
For this project, Mardome Trade models were specified due to their low rise glazing profile and energy efficient design. At Leeds East Academy, thermal performance was considered crucial and the triple skin Mardomes helped satisfy the requirements of Part L with a U-Value of 1.8 W/m2K and achieve the necessary BREEAM credits.
Eight of the rooflights were also supplied with acoustic packs to restrict noise from the local residential area and other school buildings. Consisting of an acoustic absorbing liner within the rooflight cavity and a clear acoustic lining panel, the acoustic pack reduces rain noise penetration (LiA) from 61.8dB to just 46.7dB, reducing noise levels by two thirds.
Brett Martin says its Mardome rooflights, supplied with the standard Mardome kerb and suited for use with the single ply roofing membrane, have helped transform the internal environment of the building. Glazed in opal to provide a more diffused daylight and prevent solar glare, the company says the rooflights help achieve an ideal learning environment within the school and comply with energy efficiency and performance targets in line with stringent building regulations.
