Architecture/Design: Blackburn Architects
General Contractor: Mike Keim
Roofing Contractor: Mike McHugh
Skylight Installer: Epic Windows & Doors
Location: Utah
Project Type: House Barn and Arena
Product: VELUX Modular Skylights: Ridgelight and Longlight configurations
Background
Winter Farms is a private horse farm in Utah, located in a picturesque valley with a meandering river, surrounded by foothills, and offering idyllic mountain views. The barn and arena were designed to create healthy environments for both horses and their handlers by providing ample natural light and ventilation from VELUX Modular Skylight (VMS) systems.
The Challenge
Good ventilation in horse barns and arenas is essential for maintaining the health of both the horses and the handlers who work with them. Supplying fresh air to rid structures of odors, moisture, and bacteria while regulating the indoor climate is crucial to horse and human health. The owners needed a proper ventilating skylight system that was both cost-effective and easy to install.
The Solution: VELUX Modular Skylights (VMS)
The 21,000-square-foot arena now has 130 standard-size VMS units in the Longlight configuration, while the 7,500-square-foot barn has 70 standard and custom VMS units in the Ridgelight configuration. Using VMS helped the project stay on time and on budget because it eliminated the need for worksite caulking, puttying, welding, soldering, or glass cutting, processes that can be weather-dependent and time-consuming.
The arena is long and wide, so getting natural light into the middle was a challenge. The VMS Longlight fills the middle of the space with daylight and fresh air, giving horses and their riders a pleasant indoor space to practice dressage and jumping. The skylights are anchored at the ridge onto an I-beam structure at a 7.4º roof slope with 20 venting skylights that open to provide airflow.
The barn has 70 standard and custom-size skylight modules, in the Ridgelight configuration, 14 of which are venting. This configuration consists of two symmetrical rows of self-supporting skylights that create a light, open interior.
Both skylight systems include a high-wind-velocity and rain-sensor package that will close the skylights if it detects a change in weather conditions, and the systems have HVAC integration capabilities for automatic climate control. The glass is tempered over laminated with an argon gas infill with LoE3 safety glazing for added fall protection.
“It’s a fully controllable system for not only bringing in daylight where they don’t need to use any power whatsoever to light the building, but also for ventilation,” said Tom Nafus, the VELUX sales representative who helped oversee the project.
The Design Process
VELUX Commercial was involved early in the design process and worked with both the architect and general contractor on configurations.
The skylights originally specified for the project were not VELUX, but the general contractor, Michael Keim, had plenty of experience with the brand. The original design for skylights called for an on-site glazed skylight, which takes longer to install. The prefabricated VMS system features a plug-and-play installation method that doesn’t require on-site fabrication.
After learning more about VMS, Keim updated the barn’s design, removing some unnecessary structural elements to expose the Ridgelight on the interior.
“Standing in the barn and seeing sunlight on the natural wood interior is just beautiful,” Keim said.
The barn installation took a week and required four people, a scissor lift inside, and a forklift outside. The arena installation took slightly longer simply because there were more units to install.
“It went very fast, and it went very clean,” Nafus said.
The Result: Happy, Healthy Horses
Both the arena and barn were transformed into functional yet strikingly beautiful structures that also provide healthy living and exercise spaces for the horses.
“The skylights bring out the true natural color of the wood,” Nafus said. “The wood has a natural high-gloss look throughout the whole structure. It’s just an incredible building.”
Product Spotlight: VELUX Modular Skylight Systems
VELUX Modular Skylight systems are engineered around a single prefabricated module that can be repeated, combined, and configured to support a wide range of commercial daylighting applications. Because each module is factory-built and designed to fit within the larger system, VMS gives architects, contractors, and installers a more predictable way to bring daylight and fresh air into complex roof designs.
Key Benefits of Modular Skylight Systems
Design flexibility across roof conditions
The modular platform can accommodate multiple daylighting layouts and roof slopes, offering designers options for long spans, ridge applications, atriums, wall-mounted installations, and large open interiors.
Single-module system design
Each system is built around a standardized skylight module that can be used across multiple configurations. This supports design flexibility while keeping the system consistent from specification through installation.
Prefabricated off-site manufacturing
Modules are produced in a controlled factory environment, where components are integrated and tested before arriving on site. This helps provide known performance, predictable behavior, and greater confidence during specification.
System-based installation
VMS is designed so that modules, brackets, flashings, and accessories work together as one coordinated system. The unique bracket-and-clamp design helps modules fit together accurately and supports a faster, more repeatable installation process.
Reduced on-site fabrication
With no on-site glazing required, the system helps reduce weather-dependent work such as field glazing, cutting, caulking, or other custom assembly. Once modules are attached to the substructure, the included flashing components help complete a watertight application.
Explore our VELUX Modular Skylight System brochure to see available configurations, performance options, and system details for your next commercial project.
