The historic Beaumont Mill is deeply rooted in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Producing cotton textiles beginning in 1890, the mill consisted of two large brick buildings that were eventually connected, creating one massive manufacturing facility.
After the mill closed in 1997, the community focused on preserving and renovating the historic building. Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System took up the effort and decided to renovate the facility to house its administrative departments, which previously were located in separate buildings around the city.
“We worked to preserve the integrity of this historic building by including the original floors, exterior brick, and expansive windows,” said Ken Meinke, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s Chief Financial Officer. “The mill’s long history was incorporated into the renovations, and we have historic photos and items displayed in the building.”
As part of the adaptive reuse project, the team installed 90 VELUX Modular Skylights (VMS) to bring natural daylight into the building's center, transforming a formerly dark connecting space into a bright, open corridor for employees and visitors.
“From an architectural perspective, being a corporate office and knowing that people would be in the building for long hours, we were concerned about daylight,” said Sara Robinson, the architect with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, who oversaw the project. “Light from windows along the exterior wall didn’t penetrate very deep.”
The architects knew skylights would be an ideal solution, both functionally and symbolically, so they placed them in the roof over the space connecting the two original buildings.
“We made the joining space a central hub defined by natural light from the skylights,” Robinson said. “We symbolically divided the space to reference the original two buildings, and by cutting light wells in the second floor, daylight extends all the way to the ground floor.”
Interior walls feature storefront windows, helping daylight from the skylights reach adjacent offices.
The resulting design preserves the building’s historic character while introducing natural light into interior spaces that previously received limited daylight from the exterior windows.
The VELUX Modular Skylight system was selected as the most cost-effective skylight solution for the project in terms of product price, labor, and installation time. The architects used standard-size skylight modules rather than ordering custom units, despite the former mill’s irregular roof structure dimensions.
The mono-pitched Longlight configuration provided a continuous daylighting solution along the center of the roof, with 90 skylight modules arranged in 15 rows of six units each.
JP Ross & Co. installed all 90 skylight units on pre-built curbs in just five hours. On the second day of installation, only two people were needed to attach the claddings and flashings.
“With their plug-and-play installation method, VELUX has found a way to significantly increase the speed of installation without jeopardizing the integrity of the overall system,” said Jason Peterson with JP Ross & Co. “Using VMS drastically decreases the cost of installing a structural skylight system.”
Traditional, site-built skylights would have taken at least two weeks to install. The prefabricated VELUX Modular Skylight system streamlined installation while delivering a clean, consistent appearance across the roof.
Today, the renovated mill features a central corridor that brings abundant natural light from above. The open space has transformed what was once a collection of separate departments into a unified workplace that encourages collaboration and interaction.
Ken Meinke, Chief Financial Officer of the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, said the building was designed with light and open gathering spaces in mind. "We wanted to keep the charm and historic atmosphere of the building when working with the architects, as well as make it bright so that our associates working there would feel a sense of community," he said.
The Beaumont Mill renovation shows how carefully integrated daylighting can adapt historic buildings for modern purposes. The project achieves this by combining the original architecture with prefabricated modular skylights, retaining the building's industrial character while creating a brighter, more connected workspace.
When designing commercial office buildings with skylights, consider available daylight, occupant comfort, relevant building codes, and project requirements. For architects and specifiers, the key is to choose a daylighting solution that complements the architectural design while ensuring strong building performance and efficient installation.
While natural daylight can improve office environments, excessive glare and solar heat gain can harm visual comfort, particularly in areas where computer screens are used. Skylight placement, glazing type, and integrated shading systems help control light levels and create more comfortable working conditions throughout the day.
When specifying skylights for commercial buildings, give fire safety careful consideration. Architects should consider building codes, fire protection requirements, and roof assembly specifications as early as possible in the design process. In some cases, fire-rated assemblies or smoke ventilation solutions are needed to support the building's fire safety strategy.
In large commercial offices, floor plans are often deep, so daylight from vertical windows may not reach interior areas. By placing skylights strategically, natural light can reach central corridors, shared workspaces, and gathering areas, improving daylight distribution and strengthening the connection to the outside environment.
When carrying out large commercial projects, consider skylight dimensions, roof design, installation requirements, and system compatibility. Prefabricated daylighting systems, such as VELUX Modular Skylights, feature standardized modules and flexible arrangements that make design coordination easier, simplify installation, and enable use in a variety of architectural applications.
Discover how VELUX Commercial daylighting and ventilation solutions are incorporated into new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects. Explore real-world applications, architectural designs, and innovative approaches to bringing natural light and fresh air into commercial buildings.