{"id":9975,"date":"2022-03-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/?p=9975"},"modified":"2026-04-30T06:54:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:54:24","slug":"venciendo-al-sol-del-desierto-con-claraboyas-de-atrio-multicapa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/blogs\/engineering-materials\/beating-the-desert-sun-with-multi-layer-atrium-skylights\/","title":{"rendered":"Enfrentando el sol del desierto con tragaluces de atrio multicapa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- META DESCRIPTION: A atrium tensile skylight in the Middle East must handle 45&deg;C+ temperatures and intense UV. This guide covers what contractors in the UAE and Saudi Arabia need to specify. --><\/p>\n<style>.jutent-minimal{font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,\"Segoe UI\",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,\"Open Sans\",\"Helvetica Neue\",sans-serif;color:#333;line-height:1.72;max-width:820px;margin:0 auto;padding:1.5rem 1rem 3rem;}.jutent-minimal h2,.jutent-minimal h3{color:#222;line-height:1.28;margin-top:2.2rem;margin-bottom:0.9rem;}.jutent-minimal h2{font-size:1.8rem;border-bottom:1px solid #e5e7eb;padding-bottom:0.35rem;}.jutent-minimal h3{font-size:1.25rem;}.jutent-minimal p{margin:0 0 1rem 0;font-size:1rem;}.jutent-minimal strong{color:#222;}.jutent-minimal ul,.jutent-minimal ol{margin:0.5rem 0 1.2rem 1.25rem;}.jutent-minimal li{margin-bottom:0.45rem;}.jutent-minimal .horizontal-scroll{overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:1.25rem 0;}.jutent-minimal table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:0.96rem;background:#fff;}.jutent-minimal th,.jutent-minimal td{border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:0.7rem 0.8rem;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;}.jutent-minimal thead tr{background:#f5f5f5;}.jutent-minimal hr{border:none;border-top:1px solid #e5e7eb;margin:2rem 0;}.jutent-minimal figure{margin:1.6rem 0;}.jutent-minimal img{display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 2px 10px rgb(0 0 0 \/ 0.08);}.jutent-minimal figcaption{margin-top:0.5rem;color:#666;font-size:0.92rem;font-style:italic;text-align:center;}.jutent-minimal .cta-description{margin:1.75rem 0 0.75rem 0;color:#374151;font-size:1rem;}.jutent-minimal a.j-cta{display:inline-block;margin-top:0.15rem;padding:0.8rem 1.5rem;background:#0BABF6;color:#fff;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;border-radius:6px;}.jutent-minimal a.j-cta:hover,.jutent-minimal a.j-cta:focus{background:#0895d6;}.jutent-minimal dl.faq dt{color:#222;font-weight:700;margin-top:1.2rem;}.jutent-minimal dl.faq dd{margin:0.35rem 0 0.9rem 0;}.jutent-minimal{max-width:820px;}.jutent-minimal>p:first-of-type{font-size:1.08rem;line-height:1.82;color:#314155;margin-bottom:1.5rem;}.jutent-minimal h2{border-bottom:1px solid #dbe3ea;}.jutent-minimal .faq-section,.jutent-minimal .cta-description{margin-top:2rem;}<\/style>\n<article class=\"jutent-minimal\">\n<p>Dubai, July. Ambient temperatures routinely peak at 45\u00b0C, driving the surface temperature of architectural fabrics well beyond 75\u00b0C. When engineering an atrium <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/commercial\/commercial-skylights\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag \" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Learn more about tensile skylight\">tensile skylight<\/a>, Middle East climates demand structures capable of surviving these extreme thermal loads while blocking intense UV radiation and maintaining optimal interior daylighting. Standard temperate-climate specifications often fail in this region within 36 months, typically manifesting as PTFE or PVC coating degradation, UV-induced micro-cracking, or perimeter tension loss due to thermal creep.<\/p>\n<p>When a membrane fails prematurely in Doha or Riyadh, replacement costs frequently eclipse the original capital expenditure due to complex rigging and access constraints over finished interior spaces. This guide details the specific material grades, thermal expansion tolerances, and structural detailing contractors must specify to ensure long-term performance for commercial projects across the Gulf.<\/p>\n<h2>Gulf Climate: Why Standard Atrium Tensile Skylight Specs Don&#8217;t Apply<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"atrium tensile skylight in Gulf application\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/atrium-tensile-skylight-in-gulf-application-1.jpg\"><figcaption>atrium tensile skylight in Gulf application<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Standard specifications for an Atrium Skylights written for temperate climates will fail in the Gulf. The failure mechanism is predictable: extreme thermal cycling causes the membrane to expand and contract beyond the limits of standard tensioning hardware, leading to ponding during rare but heavy winter rains, followed by rapid UV degradation of the slack material.<\/p>\n<p>In a typical European application, peak surface temperatures rarely exceed 45\u00b0C. In the Gulf, the surface temperature of an atrium tensile skylight in the UAE or Saudi Arabia routinely hits 75\u00b0C to 80\u00b0C during peak summer months. This thermal load fundamentally changes how the primary steel frame and the membrane interact. <\/p>\n<p>Standard 700g\/\u33a1 to 900g\/\u33a1 architectural fabrics lack the base cloth density to maintain dimensional stability under these conditions. When the temperature drops from 45\u00b0C during the day to 25\u00b0C at night, the resulting thermal contraction places immense stress on the perimeter boundary cables and corner plates. If the structural sizing does not account for this specific regional delta, the connection points yield.<\/p>\n<p>Contractors must reject baseline international specifications and require localized engineering. The specification must mandate high-density base fabrics, specialized surface coatings, and oversized tensioning hardware\u2014such as M24 or M30 stainless steel turnbuckles\u2014capable of accommodating a 50\u00b0C daily temperature swing without requiring manual re-tensioning within the first five years of the structure&#8217;s operational life.<\/p>\n<h2>UV and Heat Protection: Membrane Grade for Gulf Projects<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"UV resistance rating comparison\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/uv-resistance-rating-comparison-17.jpg\"><figcaption>UV resistance rating comparison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A heat-resistant atrium tensile skylight requires membranes engineered for high UV indices. Gulf UV levels frequently reach 11 or 12, breaking down plasticizers in standard PVC within 36 months and causing severe embrittlement.<\/p>\n<p>Corrosion protection and service life should be described according to the selected protection system, project environment, and maintenance conditions rather than as an unconditional lifespan guarantee.<\/p>\n<p>Corrosion protection and service life should be described according to the selected protection system, project environment, and maintenance conditions rather than as an unconditional lifespan guarantee.<\/p>\n<p>Contractors reviewing the Atrium Tensile Skylight Guide must also verify light transmission values. Highly translucent membranes (12% to 15%) increase interior cooling loads. In the Middle East, specifying a 7% to 9% transmission rate provides natural daylighting while strictly controlling solar heat gain, reducing the HVAC tonnage required for the atrium floor.<\/p>\n<h2>Wind Load: UAE and Saudi Standards<\/h2>\n<p>While heat and UV dictate membrane selection, wind dictates steel tonnage. An atrium tensile skylight in Saudi Arabia or the UAE must withstand localized Shamal wind gusts.<\/p>\n<p>In Saudi Arabia, structural engineering must comply with the Saudi Building Code (SBC) Chapter 7 for wind load calculations. Basic wind speed requirements range from 130 km\/h for inland developments in Riyadh to 160 km\/h for coastal projects in Jeddah. <\/p>\n<p>The final technical values should be confirmed against the project-specific engineering requirements and local code conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Uplift presents the core engineering challenge. Roof-mounted or parapet-spanning skylights face accelerated wind speeds due to building geometry, generating upward aerodynamic pressures exceeding 1.5 kPa. To counteract this uplift, the primary steel frame\u2014typically S355JR grade\u2014requires moment-connected base plates secured with high-strength epoxy chemical anchors embedded into the structural concrete ring beam.<\/p>\n<p>Based on Jutent&#8217;s experience across 400+ projects in 30+ countries, similar specification issues often appear when early-stage assumptions are made before the engineering conditions are confirmed.<\/p>\n<h2>Case Reference: Projects in the Gulf Region<\/h2>\n<p>Executing an atrium tensile skylight in the Middle East requires strict coordination between membrane fabrication and site installation. Gulf logistics, specifically restricted summer working hours and extreme heat, dictate system design and assembly sequencing.<\/p>\n<p>For a commercial atrium in Dubai, the specification demanded a 35m \u00d7 15m clear-span skylight over a finished retail space. The structure required installation without heavy ground-floor crane access, while meeting a strict 160 km\/h wind design load. This combination of span, wind rating, and access limits eliminated standard heavy structural steel grids.<\/p>\n<p>Jutent engineered a lightweight cable-supported flying mast system using a 1050g\/\u33a1 PVDF membrane. To accommodate summer midday work bans, the structure utilized rapid-deployment detailing. Primary boundary cables (32mm stainless steel) and the membrane were pre-tensioned and clamped at ground level, then hoisted into position via localized roof winches. Final tensioning used hydraulic pullers to apply an exact pre-stress of 4 kN\/m uniformly across the warp and weft directions.<\/p>\n<p>By designing connection plates for mechanical tensioning instead of on-site welding, roof-level assembly time dropped by 40%. Adapting these connection details for zero-crane access prevented schedule overruns and eliminated the need for complex interior scaffolding over the active retail floor.<\/p>\n<p>If you are reviewing technical options, ask our team for the latest specification datasheet and standard material details for this structure type.<\/p>\n<section class=\"faq-section\">\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<dl class=\"faq\">\n<dt>What membrane grade is recommended for a atrium tensile skylight in the UAE?<\/dt>\n<dd>High-grade PVDF (1050 g\/m\u00b2 architectural grade) is standard for UAE projects. This specification provides a base cloth weight of 1050g\/\u33a1, which is critical for maintaining dimensional stability under the extreme thermal cycling experienced in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Lower-grade materials, such as 700g\/\u33a1 or 900g\/\u33a1 variants, lack the necessary tensile strength to resist the expansion and contraction caused by 50\u00b0C daily temperature swings. Additionally, this specific grade features a thick fluorocarbon topcoat that actively reflects UV radiation, preventing the plasticizer migration that causes premature yellowing and brittleness in standard architectural fabrics.<\/dd>\n<dt>Do atrium tensile skylight structures in Saudi Arabia need to meet specific building codes?<\/dt>\n<dd>Yes. Saudi Building Code (SBC) Chapter 7 covers wind loads. Compliance with this code is mandatory for securing municipal approvals and ensuring structural safety. SBC Chapter 7 dictates the precise calculation methods for determining basic wind speeds, exposure categories, and topographic factors. For an atrium tensile skylight in Saudi Arabia, engineers must apply these calculations to account for severe uplift pressures, especially when the structure is mounted on a roof parapet where aerodynamic acceleration occurs. Failing to engineer the primary steel frame and base plate connections to these exact SBC standards will result in permit rejection and poses a severe risk of structural failure during high-velocity Shamal wind events.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"cta-description\">If you are reviewing technical options, ask our team for the latest specification datasheet and standard material details for this structure type.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"inquiry-popup j-cta\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">Get the specification datasheet<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What membrane grade is recommended for a atrium tensile skylight in the UAE?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"High-grade PVDF (1050 g\/m&sup2; architectural grade) is standard for UAE projects. This specification provides a base cloth weight of 1050g\/&#13217;, which is critical for maintaining dimensional stability under the extreme thermal cycling experienced in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Lower-grade materials, such as 700g\/&#13217; or 900g\/&#13217; variants, lack the necessary tensile strength to resist the expansion and contraction caused by 50&deg;C daily temperature swings. Additionally, this specific grade features a thick fluorocarbon topcoat that actively reflects UV radiation, preventing the plasticizer migration that causes premature yellowing and brittleness in standard architectural fabrics.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Do atrium tensile skylight structures in Saudi Arabia need to meet specific building codes?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Yes. Saudi Building Code (SBC) Chapter 7 covers wind loads. Compliance with this code is mandatory for securing municipal approvals and ensuring structural safety. SBC Chapter 7 dictates the precise calculation methods for determining basic wind speeds, exposure categories, and topographic factors. For an atrium tensile skylight in Saudi Arabia, engineers must apply these calculations to account for severe uplift pressures, especially when the structure is mounted on a roof parapet where aerodynamic acceleration occurs. Failing to engineer the primary steel frame and base plate connections to these exact SBC standards will result in permit rejection and poses a severe risk of structural failure during high-velocity Shamal wind events.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t let your commercial lobby turn into a greenhouse. The specific membranes needed to block 95% of thermal heat while transmitting natural light.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[193],"tags":[],"product-application":[321],"class_list":["post-9975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engineering-materials","product-application-commercial-skylights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9975"},{"taxonomy":"product-application","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jutent.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-application?post=9975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}