Aroof lantern is adaylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architecturalskylight structure.
Alantern roof will generally mean just the roof of a lantern structure in the West, but has a special meaning inIndian architecture (mostly Buddhist, and stretching intoCentral Asia and eastern China), where it means a dome-like roof raised by sets of four straight beams placed above each other, "arranged in diminishing squares", and rotated with each set. Normally such a "lantern" is enclosed and provides no light at all.[2]
The termroof top lantern is sometimes used to describe the lamps on roofs of taxis in Japan, designed to reflect the cultural heritage ofJapanesepaper lanterns.
The glazed lantern was developed during the Middle Ages, one notable medieval example being that atop the 14th-century Octagon Tower atEly Cathedral in England. Roof lanterns of masonry and glass were used inRenaissance architecture, such as in principalcathedrals. In 16th-centuryFrance andItaly, they began usage inorangeries, an early form of aconservatory structure with tall windows and a glazed roof section for winteringcitrus trees and other plants in non-temperate climates.
Post-Renaissance roof lanterns were made of timber and glass and were often prone to leaking.
Initially wood-framed in the 18th and 19th centuries, skylights became even more popular in metal construction with the advent of sheet-metal shops during theVictorian era. Virtually every urban row house of the late-19th and early-20th centuries relied upon a metal-framed skylight to illuminate its enclosed stairwell. More elaborate dwellings of the era showed a fondness for the roof lantern, in which the humble ceiling-window design of the skylight is elaborated into a miniature glass-paneledconservatory-style roofcupola or tower.[3]
Modern lanterns benefit from advances inglazing and sealing techniques, plus the development of high performanceinsulated glass and sealants, which reduce energy loss and provide water-tightness in the same manner as conventional skylights. Typically, roof lanterns are constructed using wood,UPVC or aluminium, or a combination of those materials.
They serve as an architectural feature, distinguished from commercial manufactured skylights by their custom design, providing unique views to the outdoors. Roof lanterns for residential homes are usually constructed using a combination of triangular and trapezoidal segments, fitted within aUPVC or aluminium frame.[4] Traditional architectural styles characterise most roof lanterns in the UK. In the U.S., where the term 'custom' skylight is often used, modern styles of roof lanterns are also common in the building vernacular.
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