The power of the sun Nature has been really good to us in giving us this form of energy that we can use every day, free of charge. Natural light improves peoples sense of well-being and contentment, whilst also having a positive effect on levels of productivity. It is healthy, it reduces the risk of accidents, it is environmentally friendly and it costs nothing, which means it can be used extremely efficiently. One further advantage is that light coming directly from above is up to five times brighter than light coming from the side. ESSMANN skylight domes and arcade rooflights capture light effectively and direct it to wherever it is needed, in order to create perfectly lit, pleasant work stations, for example. Because we need light to live, to work and to feel a sense of well-being.

The best air conditioning system is none at all. Light and air are both equally important factors when it comes to improving peoples quality of life. Fresh air creates a pleasant working environment in every respect. High air temperatures and old, stale air make people feel tired and are damaging to health. In contrast, "good" air improves productivity, reduces accident rates and contributes towards a content, motivated workforce. Natural ventilation makes use of a simple law of physics: Hot air rises, with the thermals acting as a motor to drive the stale air out through controllable ventilators in the roof. This process is extremely quiet and can be tailored to particular site conditions. Additional electronic controls can be used to make the procedure even more convenient and effective, especially in multi-storey buildings or in situations where high standards of air quality must be met. As far as mechanical aeration and ventilation is concerned, ventilators and a sophisticated, precisely calculated aeration system also have a part to play. In such cases it is extremely important that the volume of air actually required is determined with the utmost precision. The motto is: As much air as is required, right where it is really needed. This is the only way to reduce energy costs to an absolute minimum

The extreme temperatures experienced in 2003 prompted Caritas Sozialwerk, a social services organisation, to install an aeration and ventilation system on its factory premises in Leipzig, Germany, and to improve the utilisation of natural daylight in the building at the same time. The existing arcade rooflight caused both unwanted dazzling effects at work stations and a considerable increase in temperature inside the factory in summer, which in turn resulted in the accumulation of heat. By contrast, during the winter months when heating was required, the cold air allowed into the building through the roof opening led to high thermal losses and draughts. The factory complex has an average height of 5.5 m and a floor area of 800 m². An arcade rooflight measuring 2.5 m in width was installed in the ridge in 1994. Since the employees primarily work at seated stations in the premises in question and little machinery is used, the resulting internal thermal load is low. Project definition Reduction of external heat input during the summer months - Better ventilation Reduction in ventilation and heating costs Good natural lighting at work stations, with no dazzling effects Smoke and heat extraction in accordance with DIN EN 12101 Part 2 ESSMANN SolutionESSMANN decided to install an ESSMANN arched arcade rooflight with HDS protection. HDS protection is a special feature of arcade rooflights: A perforated aluminium sheet is mounted onto the arcade rooflight to provide fall-through protection, hard roofing and protection against the sun, hail, vandalism and break-ins. ESSMANN all-weather finned ventilators facilitate both ventilation and smoke and heat extraction; they also comply with all DIN EN 12101 Part 2 requirements.

Firma Ludwig Peithmann GmbH & Co. KG manufactures plastic injection moulded components that are built into kitchen appliances, for example. Melting the plastic granules during the production process generates considerable heat. The company’s continued growth necessitated the installation of ever more machinery, which caused massive problems with heat on the production line. The work environment became virtually intolerable during the summer months and equipment failures had a negative impact on the reliability of production processes. Project definition A cost-effective aeration and ventilation solution that considerably lowers temperatures in the halls, is economical to maintain and is able to admit the required fresh air into the work environment without causing draughts. Incorporation of aerodynamically effective smoke extraction and melt-out heat extraction faces. Improvement in incident daylight. ESSMANN solutionAfter extensive ventilation measurements were taken and analyses performed, the following solution was developed together with the client: Three arched ESSMANN arcade rooflights provide daylight and a melt-out heat extraction face, ensuring the necessary smoke extraction can be performed, whilst at the same time acting as supports for the ESSMANN all-weather double flaps. These discharge the excess thermal load irrespective of the weather conditions and significantly improve the climate in the hall. Air must be fed in from the outside as this concept is based on natural ventilation of the hall. The project planners opted to use mechanical, decentralised ESSMANN air treatment units with fabric ventilation channels. These ensure the systematic admission of fresh air without causing any draughts. The ESSMANN air intake channels for the internal fresh air equipment required were also integrated into the arcade rooflights. Furthermore, this equipment contains pumped warm water damper registers, which ensure that the heat supply is guaranteed throughout winter.