The window is an opening in a wall or side of a building admitting light
and often air to the interior. Early windows were developed before the
introduction of glass, so initially windows were left open to the external
atmosphere, or filled by some form of closure to minimize the heat loss at
night. The more sophisticated buildings would have had thin slabs of
marble, mica or oiled paper for this purpose.
and often air to the interior. Early windows were developed before the
introduction of glass, so initially windows were left open to the external
atmosphere, or filled by some form of closure to minimize the heat loss at
night. The more sophisticated buildings would have had thin slabs of
marble, mica or oiled paper for this purpose.
The horizontal window is perhaps the most well known of all, starting as it did in mediaeval times, limited by the construction methods of the day. It is still much used in today’s domestic architecture. Provided the horizontal window is placed high in the wall the daylighting will penetrate well into the space, but other features of the window need to be considered, such as the view out which will be prejudiced where the cill is too high.
The rooflight by definition permits daylight to enter from above through a glazed opening in the roof protecting the interior from wind and weather. The early rooflights were perceived either as domes such as that at Chiswick House with ordinary windows in the sides allowing in the daylight, but by the nineteenth century structural techniques had developed sufficiently to allow fully glazed barrel vaults or glazed domes to be placed above areas of building remote from the side walls and the proximity of windows. Examples of nineteenth century shopping malls still exist today where these overhead lights permit daylight to reach deep into the interior of buildings.
Glass blocks were a popular form of glass wall in the 1930s, having thermal characteristics due to the hollow nature of the blocks, which, because of their structural nature are still in use today for the introduction of daylight into new buildings, but special openings will be required to provide a view.