Light and air
Clerestory
temple factory school housing market
A band of windows high up on a wall, above eye level, where one roof rises above a lower one.
What it solves
It gives even, deep light without losing privacy and lets out the hot air that builds up above. In the tropics, with an eave, it ventilates the roof without letting rain in.
Today
Orient it to the north or south with an eave or sunshade. Make it operable so it can serve as a hot air outlet.
Common mistake
Making it fixed and unprotected toward the east or west, which brings low sun, heat and glare.
Tomorrow
Open at night, the clerestory lets accumulated heat escape at the top and cools the house at no cost. Closed against the rain, it still gives light during the day.
Fact The oldest surviving glass windows in a clerestory are in Augsburg Cathedral, from the late 11th century.
Where it comes from
- 1Temples of ancient Egypt Egypt, at least since the Amarna period
In columned halls such as the Great Hypostyle Hall, light came in through openings above the side roofs. - 2Roman and early Christian basilica Rome and Italy, Antiquity
A taller central nave with a row of windows above the side aisles. - 3Gothic Europe, Middle Ages
Rib vaults and flying buttresses freed the wall for tall glass windows.
Masters
- Frank Lloyd Wright Unity Temple, Oak Park, United States, 1908
He opens high windows in the center of each wall of the hall and adds skylights so light comes in from above without distracting the eye. He teaches that a clerestory lights the whole room and leaves the lower walls free.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Light and air
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.