the.com/skylight
a hole in the roof that civilization decided was a feature, not a defeat
means A window set into a roof or ceiling to let daylight (and sometimes air) into the space below.
from A transparent compound of "sky" and "light," both old Germanic stalwarts of English — "sky" coming from Old Norse "ský," meaning cloud, and "light" from Old English "lēoht." The word arrived first not on rooftops but at sea: "skylight" originally named an opening in a ship's deck to send daylight below, before it climbed ashore and settled into the roofs of houses around the 18th century.
- ancient origin
- Roman atriums had open roofs collecting rain in pools
- resale boost
- adds natural light without sacrificing wall space
- leak reputation
- poorly installed ones are infamous water entry points
- space stations
- orbital cupolas give astronauts panoramic Earth-watching windows
- stargazing
- bedroom versions turn ceilings into private planetariums
guggenheim museum skylight — frank lloyd wright's circular opening at top of rotunda in new york city, completed 1959
pantheon oculus — roman temple's 30-foot diameter circular opening in dome, rome, built 126 ad
kimbell art museum skylights — louis kahn's distinctive barrel-vault skylights in fort worth, texas, opened 1972