International VELUX Award 2014 for Students of Architecture
Prize winners share global responsibility
At the Award event of the International VELUX Award 2014, three prize winners and nine mentions were awarded. A team of four students from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, takes first prize with their project "Light, Revitalization", a beautiful and profound exploration of the role of daylight in modern urban life.
The first prize winners investigations of the 'Light of Tomorrow' have brought the team deep into fundamental contemplations of life and light:At the Award event of the International VELUX Award 2014, three prize winners and nine mentions were awarded. A team of four students from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, takes first prize with their project "Light, Revitalization", a beautiful and profound exploration of the role of daylight in modern urban life.
The first prize winners investigations of the 'Light of Tomorrow' have brought the team deep into fundamental contemplations of life and light:
To us the light of tomorrow means an emphasis on the more spiritual beauty of life. We did not only discuss better usage of light in the future. We searched for a new definition of light. In our project, light serves as a stage, leading us to rethink the deeper values of daily life
Taking their starting point in the city of Beijing, a testing ground of new architecture, the winning team from the Tsinghua University decided to search for the valuable things that should be preserved from the past and reconnected to modern life.
The jury praises the project for its maturity and for presenting something entirely plausible and feasible, tying together old Chinese traditions and new ways of looking at these tradi-tions. The scheme demonstrates a deep understanding of the role of daylight in a city scale, in a social scale and in a cultural scale.
The first prize winning project ties to cultural conditions regarding the cycles of the sun foretold in the cultural heritage of the region. There are several narratives at work, and the possibility to heal the urban condition through light. That is interesting commentary for light
2nd and 3rd prizes concerned with global responsibility
The jury characterizes the 2nd prize as fantastic, tying aspects of science fiction with the real world in a very mature approach, animating a demilitarized zone as an artificial cloud. The project "Morning Glory Cloud" is created by two students from Hanyang University and Hongik University in Seoul, Korea, as an inspiration to think about the possibility of the invisi-ble Korean boundary's disappearance.
The third prize winning project "Light of Hope" aims to bring glows of hope and lighting to the millions of people living in refugee camps around the world. The jury found the project both cost effective, practically feasible and with a human quality expressing the sincere social en-gagement of the team of four students from the University of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria.
In addition to the prize winners, the jury awards two special mentions, both from China, and seven honourable mentions representing Canada, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria and China. All prize winners and honourable mentions have been decided unanimously by the jury.
Daylight remains a the central issue
The jury applauds the fact that many projects sent in for the International VELUX Award 2014 go beyond the parameters of design and serves as a positive contribution to social re-sponsibility and society.
"Many projects deal with how light can affect political situations. They tie the functionality of light with purposes beyond what light ordinarily provides. Not just views and comfort, but dealing with challenging situations, social discussions, and pooling the political aspects into the work with light", says jury chairman Craig Dykers.
The Award organizers from the VELUX Group find the extended focus on responsibility and conceptual experimentation in the student projects important:
"With the Award we want to inspire students to work with daylight as more than just a design feature. We are very pleased to see, that the winning projects and mentions of this years' award are strongly involved in serious topics facing the world and shows a sincere social re-sponsibility, says Per Arnold Andersen, representing the VELUX Group on the jury.
All winning projects are featured in 'Architectural Review', and all entries are displayed on the Award website.
