Saw-tooth roof

The steeper surfaces are glazed to admit daylight and face away from the equator to shield workers and machinery from direct sunlight.

Many factories of the era had little or no electrical wiring; their main power sources for the machinery were often steam engines driving line shafting, and the lighting was chiefly via daylighting through the windows.

It was chiefly adapted for power-weaving..."[3] It was rapidly adopted during the industrial revolution for the many new daylight factories where good natural lighting was essential in the manufacturing process and large areas of enclosed space were required to house the machinery.

Reasons for the renewed interest in daylighting include the high cost of fossil fuels and the realization that sources of electricity have a finite life.

Judges of the British Construction Industry's award recognised that the distinctive shape offers potential for solar panels to be installed.

The exact dimensioning of these roofs is extremely important both in terms of energy savings, due to the reduction in electricity needed for artificial lighting, and as regards vision quality.

An example of the sawtooth form is this factory built for Morris Engines Ltd. , at Gosford Street, Coventry in 1923.
KET-hall in Weimar
Sawtooth roofs have become iconographic of factories and manufacturing, and pictograms representing factories often depict them.