Grand Designs Live

The opening roof

Due to neighbouring party walls and planning restrictions, the only way to get daylight into the main space was through the roof. Equally, the best way of giving that windowless space something special was to get the roof to open. Bring the outside in at the touch of a button.

We bought six lengths of polished stainless steel, cut them to size and welded them together. Then we craned the frame onto the roof, sat it on some natty wheels and planted the glass on top. This all got sealed in with plenty of pressed stainless flashings and swathes of structural silicone.

The low-e (low emissivity) glass keeps heat loss down and cooling can be achieved with solar blinds under the window or simply by opening it. There is also a vent position that lets air out, but not rain in. The motor is one that I converted from a roller shutter, which sums up the whole approach to this bespoke self-engineered window.