Issue 40 winter 23 web - Flipbook - Page 48
For three decades The Rooflight
Co has been the premium rooflight
manufacturer for properties of
architectural significance
As the company marks its 30th anniversary, we look back at the company’s interesting origins and
discover more about what sets them apart.
With their fine detailing, low profile frames and authentic
features, rooflights from the The Rooflight Co can be seen
on the roofs of some of the UKs most historic and
architecturally significant buildings.
Known over the years as The Metal Window Company
and latterly the Rooflight Company, the business has
an interesting origin; being founded by Architect, Peter
King, who used his artistic interpretation to respond to
environmental necessity.
The story begins a few years before the company was
formed, in the late 1980s. Peter was plying his craft
and practicing in the Conservation Area of London’s
Hampstead Garden suburb. Conservation Areas at this
time were still a relatively new concept having been
established under the Civic Amenities Act of 1967 with
planning legislation evolving around them. Many of
Peter’s clients wanted to extend into the attics of their
Victorian period properties. The challenge was how to
bring both light and ventilation into these loft spaces
when the strict planning regulations made modern roof
windows and dormers out of the question. The only
permissible option was a cast iron single-glazed rooflight
based on the original Victorian design - beautiful but
falling short of modern performance standards.
Below, Cuddymoss, Ayrshire by Ann Nisbet Studio, RIAS Award
for Architecture in 2023. Photograph: David Barbour.
Peter had always used natural light in his designs. His
projects often explored how light can influence the
ambient atmosphere of a space. He was naturally drawn
to explore how to overcome the conundrum of bringing
natural light into period property loft conversions. Using
many of the same principles he explored through
architecture, such as a focus on details and appreciation
for scaleable aesthetics, Peter set about designing a
modern day rooflight that incorporated the fine detailing
and authentic features of the Victorian model yet met
modern performance standards.
His iconic original design included a steel frame,
double-glazing, draught stripping and a thermal lining,
and came in a range of sizes taken from original Victorian
patterns. The Original Conservation Rooflight was born,
marking the start of a new era for natural top lighting
solutions through a range of high-performing rooflights,
roof windows and skylights. In 1993, Peter formerly
established The Metal Window Company and set up a
manufacturing workshop in the Cotswolds.
The Conservation Rooflight was given wide approval by
planners, conservation officers and fellow architects who
appreciated its low-profile, glazing bar and slim sections.
Over the last three decades, The Original Conservation
Rooflight design has evolved to deliver on the ever more
stringent performance requirements whilst still retaining