Mill Hide

Bespoke sliding rooflight

Mill Hide is a Paragraph 79 home in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, designed by architect Tim Poulson around a central courtyard and an oversized bespoke sliding rooflight. The single sculptural form takes inspiration from Palladio’s Villa Rotunda, with the dwelling, piazza and ancillary spaces arranged within a rectangular perimeter enclosure.

IQ Glass supplied the automated MARS® roof glazing system, positioned above the central court to flood the interior with daylight and fresh air. The 20m² sliding lantern rooflight is orientated to the cardinal points of the compass, allowing sunlight to fall across all four elevations of the courtyard through the day.

The result is a highly controlled architectural roof glazing solution that supports the biophilic intent of the home, connecting the central living space with the surrounding rural landscape and RSPB nature reserve.

Products Used

Featured In

AJ Architects Journal

Winner of RIBA East Award 2025

Winner of Architizer A+Awards Popular Choice 2025

Project Partners

Architect: Tim Poulson

Photo credits: Nick Guttridge

Location

Melbourn, Cambridgeshire
Aerial pic of Mill Hide with 20m2 large sliding rooflight
Bespoke sliding rooflight brings in light at Mill Hide
Mill Hide shortlisted for RIBA East Award 2025

Bespoke sliding rooflight for a Paragraph 79 courtyard house

The design challenge at Mill Hide was to bring daylight and ventilation into the centre of a deeply considered single-storey Paragraph 79 home without compromising the clarity of the architectural form. The house is arranged around a central piazza, with the rooflight acting as the main source of light and open-sky connection for the courtyard space below.

The bespoke sliding rooflight was designed as an automated MARS® aluminium rooflight with a large 4500mm x 4500mm aperture. When closed, the roof glazing provides a sharp, elevated glazed lantern above the central court. When open, the centre of the home connects directly with the outside, allowing daylight, fresh air and the surrounding landscape to become part of the internal experience.

The scale and geometry of the rooflight were integral to the architecture. Rather than acting as a standard roof window, the sliding lantern forms a central architectural device, supporting the symmetry, daylight strategy and courtyard arrangement of the home.

Automated roof glazing for daylight and ventilation

The MARS® automated sliding rooflight was specified to provide both daylight and natural ventilation to the central court. Its position above the internal piazza allows light to enter from above and move across the four elevations of the courtyard throughout the day.

Once opened to its maximum aperture, the rooflight allows the central space to merge with the external environment. This supports the architectural intent for a light-filled, biophilic atrium at the heart of the house, connecting the Corten-clad building with its rural Cambridgeshire setting.

Large-format rooflight installation on a restricted rural site

The scale of the rooflight required a carefully planned fabrication, transport and installation strategy. The 1375kg sliding lantern rooflight was supported by a steel frame and had to be fabricated and transported in two separate parts due to restricted access along a country road approximately 3.3m wide.

Each triangular pane of the sliding lantern rooflight weighed approximately 343kg, with some finishing works required on site. Once a suitable access route had been secured, the large bespoke rooflight was installed using specialist craning equipment to position the glass and frame accurately within the roof structure.

Opening sliding rooflight to centre of rectangular Paragraph 79 dnew build
Aerial pic of Mill Hide with 20m2 large sliding rooflight

Performance considerations

Performance detailing at Mill Hide was shaped by the size, weight and movement requirements of the automated roof glazing. The 20m² rooflight needed to bring daylight and ventilation into the centre of the home while operating reliably as a large sliding roof element above the main courtyard.

The rooflight was supported by a steel frame, allowing the 1375kg assembly to be integrated into the sharp elevated ceiling structure. The automated sliding mechanism had to accommodate the scale of the rooflight while maintaining a clean architectural appearance and allowing the roof to open fully above the internal piazza.

Logistics were also central to the performance of the installation. The restricted rural access meant the rooflight had to be fabricated and transported in two parts before being assembled and completed on site. Specialist craning equipment was required to manage the weight of the rooflight, the individual 343kg triangular panes and the precision needed for installation within the completed architectural form.

This allowed the bespoke sliding rooflight to function as both a technical roof glazing system and a central architectural feature, bringing controlled daylight, ventilation and open-sky connection into the heart of the Paragraph 79 home.

Technical details

  • Automated sliding rooflight: MARS® aluminium roof glazing system; automated sliding operation; 20m² glazed rooflight; 4500mm x 4500mm aperture; positioned above the central courtyard
  • Large rooflight assembly: approx. 1375kg total rooflight weight; supported via steel frame; designed to open the central piazza to daylight, fresh air and open sky
  • Triangular roof glazing: individual triangular panes approx. 343kg each; some finishing works completed on site due to fabrication and transport requirements
  • Restricted access logistics: rooflight fabricated and transported in two separate parts due to rural access constraints; country road access approx. 3.3m wide

Bespoke roof glazing for architect-led homes

Mill Hide shows how a bespoke sliding rooflight can become a central architectural device, providing daylight, ventilation and open-sky connection within a highly considered Paragraph 79 home.

This approach is well suited to architects and specifiers working on luxury new builds, courtyard houses and countryside homes where roof glazing must be integrated with structure, movement, daylight strategy and installation logistics.

To discuss a similar bespoke sliding rooflight, contact IQ Glass for technical advice on MARS® automated roof glazing, large-format rooflight design, structural integration and specialist installation strategies.

Corten clad and large sliding lantern rooflight
20m2 large sliding rooflight

Associated Products

Electric sliding rooflight

M.A.R.S.®

The MARS automated retactable roof system is a motorised skylight that can be controlled via a mobile app. It's used in residential and commercial buildings to provide natural light and ventilation.

Roof Glazing

Rooflights and roof glazing can be built with or without a frame, based on the project's design specifications.

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