Glazing Vision Launches Sukkah Rooflight Project With University Technical College Norfolk
Glazing Vision were joined by UTCN, a University Technical College in Norwich with a focus on the advanced engineering and energy sectors, at our HQ in Diss on Wednesday 18th January to launch an exciting project which focuses on designing a brand new Sukkah rooflight as part of their “Find Your Future” initiative.
The original story written by Glazing Vision can be found here: https://www.glazingvision.co.uk/news/utcn-project/
This is the second year in a row that Glazing Vision have worked on this project, having attended UTCN last year for the launch. This year, we thought it would be a great opportunity for the 76 students to attend our office and factory in Diss so they could get a real understanding of what it takes to design and manufacture a rooflight.
Sukkah rooflights are used during the Jewish 7-day festival of Sukkot, a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days from the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. During Sukkot, no electricity is used. Sukkah rooflights are designed to be opened manually during the festival without the use of electricity and are designed specifically to meet the guidelines set out within the Jewish community. A skylight which can be covered in thatching may be a qualified Sukkah – meaning you can celebrate within your home by surrounding your roof opening with sechach.
UTCN’s year 12 students’ knowledge and abilities will be tested during this 5 week project, and will require the students to research Sukkah rooflights, investigate opening mechanisms, and research and propose different materials which could be used to create a brand-new type of Sukkah rooflight. This project is a part of UTCN’s “Find Your Future” initiative which aims to prepare their students for life after college. Taking part in projects such as this provides the students with experience in working with real companies on real challenges and helps build their confidence which they can take with them into their working lives.
The rooflight must be designed for a flat roof with the dimensions being 2.5m x 1m or 2.5m x 2m, and the space around the rooflight must also be considered. The weight of the overall rooflight must allow for operation by all ages and must include an option for manual operation.
The students have until the 1st of March to design their new Sukkah Rooflight, and a 10 minute presentation will be given by the students in front of Glazing Vision. The participants will also be expected to create a prototype of their new product which they will show case during the presentation, and a technical data sheet will also be produced.
“Glazing Vision is passionate about inspiring future engineers which is why we were eager to collaborate with UTCN on this project. It also gives us the opportunity to raise awareness of our company to the students for future employment, whether that be work experience, apprenticeships or beyond. Bringing industry and education together with shared resources often has many benefits, including idea generation and cross platform energy and enthusiasm, inspiring new concepts and ideas.” – Jon Shooter – Managing Director, Glazing Vision.
We were thrilled to see the students engage with the launch of the project and we look forward to seeing their proposals in March!