SKY TUNNEL

Photo: I haven't got a photo of the sky tunnel so here is a picture of the church in Newtowncunningham

I was at the Inishowen Co-Op last week buying paint. (I started off by re-decorating the front bedroom but I have to carry on through the house, as everywhere else looks dull in comparison) I noticed the shop were selling a skylight dome that fits on to your roof and lets in daylight to where it is needed. The company is called Sky Tunnel and the device looks very interesting. It helps control the ventilation of your loft and displaces moisture. The idea is simple; the light comes through the transparent dome and runs down a thick tube made from a silver foil like material. This in turn fits on to a frosted plate that is fitted in to the roof. Each one costs the best part of €400 but this is probably less expensive than light reflectors made out of fibre optics. A friend of mine was looking into the possibility of using these fibre optic light carriers in a house design. He has the idea of living in a hillside, which sounds a bit daft but it makes very good sense. His plan is to carve out the hill and have the rooms underground with one large window at the front of the property. As the walls will be in the ground they will not be subjected to the chill factor of the wind and will stay at a constant temperature all year round. With the light domes in the roof it will be bright and when the grass has grown again the house will be almost invisible. You could walk over it and never know!

Environmental.