A skylight may seem like a feature dependent on the light required in a space, but the light is itself dependent on the direction of the natural light and location. Choosing the best place, especially if your skylight is completely on the roof, is critical.

North: This direction has the coolest colour temperature and can produce the most light, even in indirect sunlight, in comparison to the rest of the directions.

East: This is usually intense light that is produced by the morning rising sun, but will be slightly cooler with time, although not as cool as the North direction skylight.

South: The light produced in this direction is the brightest and most intense, with potential to overheat your spaces. Making a window that is glazed or curtain operable can curb this issue.

West: Similar to the south, this directional light is prone to being intense and therefore hot. Later in the day, however, it does cool down. This direction should also be covered with operable curtains to avoid heat.

Regions with intense weather conditions, such as ours with respect to heat, should be wary when choosing the location for their skylights to avoid over-heating a space.

Skylights are typically made of glass, acrylic or glazed molded units. Additionally, the topcoat glazing may be clear, tinted, polycarbonate or glass. They may also be non-vented, fixed, or even operable. But, most times in certain situations in interior design, the owner may not have the choice of orientation. In such cases, skylights have options of being built in whilst having shades which are remotely operated. Skylights in all orientations can benefit from these shades to always maintain control over the amount of light being let through, and to control how much heat exists in a space.

When planning for a skylight in a space, consider how it will be integrated with your design and think about the best treatment to reflect the overall ambience of the house: etched glass, stained glass, sand blasted glass or even molded poly sheets. Along with obvious character-adding features such as frames, these treatments are what add character to your skylight and make them symbiotic with the space.

A skylight can illuminate a space, but apart from this attribute, it has several different uses. For starters, its visual potential is essential: light draws us. Long, uninterrupted skylights incite movement between spaces. Skylights can illuminate hallways, and stairways, where the user looks up and gets drawn naturally towards the progression of the light.

You can even use a single skylight to mark high-use areas like, dining table, or island kitchen counter. Usually transitional areas like passages, foyers, landings and hallways tend to be low-lit areas. Therefore, having a few small skylights or one big one can add both light and volume to these spaces. This will automatically set a tone of visual importance to these naturally lit, ‘highlighted’ spaces. Here in these examples, the key is providing a monumental skylight into the architecture below. The light above should balance the daylight coming in from the sides while emanating from a single direction to provide a visual contrast to draw the people’s attention instinctively.

A skylight’s location in a room can influence how you experience the space. While a skylight at the centre of a room creates focus, one alongside a wall can be equally dramatic.