HomeTown Aurora
Urban Living Lofts
Building Type: Multi-Family Housing

The city of Aurora, Illinois, has been dubbed the ‘City of Lights’ for being the first community in the U.S. to adopt all-electric street lights. As homebuyers are increasingly showing interest in ‘green’ design elements, homebuilders are shifting their focus to natural lighting. Bigelow Homes, named “Builder of the Year” by Professional Builder Magazine, recently installed dozens of Solatube® Daylighting Systems in one of its newest loft buildings in the downtown area, HomeTown Aurora.

Objective
The purpose of the project was to provide a natural lighting solution to urban lofts with limited windows.

Products Used

Solution
The HomeTown Aurora lofts are two-bedroom, two-bathroom homes ranging from 1,325 to 1,995 square feet. Design constraints allowed for only a minimal number of windows in the units, so it was necessary to find an alternative way to introduce more natural lighing into each loft. Three Solatube Daylighting Systems were installed in each loft: one in the master bathroom and two in each hallway. The skylights provided an abundant natural light design element to the space, while also incorporating an energy-efficient component to the lofts which pleased the homeowners.

Testimonial
“I have found that Solatube Daylighting Systems help in turning an otherwise dark, dull area into a vibrant space, filled with natural light. We are focused on building energy-efficient homes and turned to Solatube Daylighting Systems to add some ‘wow’ to our homes without the heat loss/gain associated with conventional skylights. Our homebuyers see Solatube Daylighting Systems as a cutting edge product, which has helped to raise the perceived value of our homes.”

Mike Venetis
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Bigelow Homes