BY RONALD R. SPADAFORA
The use of the saw-tooth design to exploit daylight more effectively is not new. It has been around for centuries. During the American Industrial Revolution, saw-tooth roofs were first built to illuminate factories. This was especially true of textile manufacturing mills in New England. Although daylighting techniques (see "Sustainable Design") are centuries-old, they have been "rediscovered" and have regained popularity with 21st century architects. Benefits from daylighting can be readily reviewed and analyzed by design professionals using computers and industry software tools. Natural lighting in industrial, commercial, and institutional modern buildings is commonly provided by roofs with transparent surfaces (photo 2). Saw-tooth roof design uses opaque building materials combined with inclined glazing. The dimensions of saw-tooth roofs are critical in terms of vision quality and energy savings.
The saw-tooth roof gets its name from its peculiar profile, which is similar to the teeth in an upward-facing saw blade. Saw-tooth roof design uses a number of parallel roof sections of triangular shape. They can be built on site of wood, steel, or reinforced concrete. Some saw-tooth roofs are preengineered off site where they are manufactured using separately molded structural members. Major components of the saw-tooth are the following.
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