Xlok rooflights-the key to integrating daylight within design

In any building, there must always be space for natural light. Whether new build or refurbishment, the abundance of natural daylight is not only a fundamental element of an interior space it is essential for the occupant's well-being.

Capturing light at any time of day and filling even the largest structures and internal spaces with light, panel glazing systems are an excellent, cost effective and versatile way to bring natural light into buildings and create environments people want to spend time in.

The fact we spend over 80% of our lives inside buildings has ramped up the importance of daylight provision and is critical to our quality of life. Whether it provides a healthier and healing environment in a hospital, increasing learning and productivity in schools and offices or simply enhancing the aesthetic in internal spaces, panel glazing systems enable daylight to penetrate the interiors of buildings.

Versatility

The growing need for exceptional levels of daylight at both new-build and refurbishments has seen a rise in popularity of rooflights and in particular flat panel glazing systems. To fit any length, straight or curved, Brett Martin Daylight Systems’ Xlok panel glazing systems are fully factory assembled to allow fast and simple site installation without glazing experience.

Proven in a wide range of applications from hospitals to schools, retail sites to industrial facilities, stadia to covered walkways and courtyards, Xlok glazing systems are suitable for any roof type and can create interlocking continuous run rooflights which bring free natural daylight into a building.

Xlok glazing systems utilise flat panels of structured polycarbonate that allow lead flashing at the up-slope edge to sit flat against the glazing, for quicker installation and a watertight fit. They are factory assembled with extruded aluminium bars which inter-link on site to behave as one, for a fully water managed system. Panels can be linked to exactly fit any length required, straight or curved.

Robust and versatile, Xlok Ultra is glazed in 25mm structured polycarbonate and can span up to 4.5m between supports and up to 9 metres as ridge glazing. Offering a thermal insulation value of 1.6W/m2K, Xlok Ultra easily complies with Part L regulations.

Bringing natural light to the public arena

A 27-metre-long Xlok Ultra rooflight caps Christies’ South Kensington salesrooms - one of the busiest in the world. The world’s leading fine arts business undertook a £5 million refurbishment of the salesroom colloquially known as The Hangar, which saw the leaking Georgian wired glass roof replaced. The five-metre-long Xlok Ultra 25mm structured polycarbonate panels were assembled in Brett Martin’s Coventry factory with extruded aluminium bars which interlink on site for a fully water managed system. Class B non-fragile and easily compliant with Part L regulations, the wide-span and heavy-duty Xlok panels are designed for simple, fast installation – a crucial factor in this project which the contractor McConnell’s had to complete within two months to be ready for Christie’s major autumn sales.

It’s not only the world of the auction room that has demonstrated the versatility of Xlok. An iconic, award-winning market building in Barnsley, Penistone Covered Market, is the largest oak frame in the UK – 24 metres wide, 35 metres long and 13 metres high – and features a modern twist in the traditional design. The polycarbonate roof light system runs the length of the ridge and adds natural light to the public area below.

Giving a contemporary edge to a traditional building, the market is capped by a 30-metre long Xlok Ultra roof light installed on the ridge and glazed in clear 25mm Marlon ST multiwall polycarbonate sheet. The rooflight allows natural daylight to flood into the building from the crown of the roof and highlights the intricate workmanship of the oak frame. At night when the building is lit, the rooflight acts as a lantern, making the building a new and interesting landmark on the town’s skyline at night.

Bespoke as standard

Designed and manufactured in Brett Martin’s own BSI quality accredited and ISO 14001 environmentally- accredited factories, Xlok panel glazing systems are one of a range of bespoke solutions within the company’s rooflight portfolio and are backed up by comprehensive support from design to specification, and finally installation, ensuring specifiers can help realise their aspirations and introduce natural daylight into their designs.

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