Skylights have evolved and greatly improved over the past 30 years, becoming widely used across the building industry. Entrepreneur Michael Bonello played an integral part in the development of skylight manufacturing in Australia and has since brought skylights to the forefront of the building industry.
Founder of Skydome and marketing chair of the Skylight Industry Association, Bonello, made his first skylight at the age of 25 when the manufacturing company he was working for gave him a temporary project.
Despite no support from his employer, Michael followed his instinct and young entrepreneurship and started Skydome in 1976.
He operated from his house in Abbotsford for the first three years, with Skydomes installed in his own bathroom and kitchen serving as a showroom and his garage as an assembly area.
As the company expanded, Michael opened the Skydome factory in its current location in Five Dock, Sydney in 1979. It now includes complete skylight manufacturing facilities and a showroom.
Skydome has developed and introduced several new products to the Australian skylight market. Skydome has been involved with university research to develop various products such as the Intech Lens, which increases skylight performance by four times compared to other tubular skylights. It was developed in association with the Queensland University of Technology.
Since its inception, the Skydome product range has expanded and includes three types of skylights each with many variations, features and applications: Skydome, Skytube and Skywindow. Skydome also offers ventilation products like the Powervent and vented skylights.
In Australia, the Skylight Industry Association Incorporated (SIAI), of which Skydome was a founding member, was established in 1989 to promote quality products and professional business practices among members.
Skydome products, which are officially recognised as Australian owned and made, are custom-made to suit Australian conditions. Their robust flashings offer a high level of watertightness.
Skydomes are ideal for use in rooms with little or no natural light to improve overall ambiance and light levels and can be used to create lighting effects.
In addition to being used to brighten interiors, skylights are also energy efficient as they reduce the use of electric lighting throughout the day, meaning a reduction in a building’s total energy consumption and the associated emissions of carbon dioxide.