Copenhagen,
28
April
2015
|
13:34
Europe/Copenhagen

Rethinking daylight in our environment

Summary

On 2-3 September 2015, researchers, architects and other building professionals will meet in London for the 6th VELUX Daylight Symposium. The Symposium will explore the potential of daylight to drive change in the way we think and design living environments. Registration for the Symposium is open until 31 July.

Gathering an international community of researchers, practitioners and legislators to debate the vital role of daylight in buildings and people’s lives, the 6th VELUX Daylight Symposium takes on the challenges faced by today’s 24/7 society. The topics of the 2015 Symposium range from ‘daylight and life in the cities’ to ‘daylighting design and practice’ and ‘how daylight affects human health, well-being and learning capabilities’.

We arrange The Daylight Symposium every second year as part of our commitment to advance the role of daylight and indoor climate quality in order to improve human health and well-being inside buildings. Since the first Daylight Symposium in 2005, we have seen the Symposium grow into a leading international forum for sharing of daylight research and practices. We look very much forward to this 6th international gathering, and we are happy to be able to present new research, experiences and viewpoints from research, engineering and architectural practice at the 2015 London Symposium,
Per Arnold Andersen, Head of the VELUX Group Knowledge Centre for Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate, says.

The Symposium speakers include world famous artist Olafur Eliasson, renowned for his works of art engaging the broader public sphere and chairman of Natural Light student competition for design of a solar lamp; Professor Koen Steemers from Cambridge University, who will present his most recent research on the interaction between sustainable architecture and human well-being; from the University of California, Professor Henrik Wann Jensen will present his leading edge daylight simulation in computer graphics and modelling; and American writer and thinker Paul Bogard will challenge dogmas of day and night, light and darkness.

Besides presentations with daylight as a driver of change as the common denominator, the networking and knowledge sharing between the expected 350 participants is an important part of the Symposium, which will take place at the Tobacco Dock in London.

The number of participants is limited to 350, and registration for the Symposium is open until 31 July on a first come, first served basis.

One-day VELUX Daylight Academic Forum precedes Symposium

The Daylight Symposium is preceded by a one-day Academic Forum for PhD students in the field of daylight.

The aim of the Academic Forum is to stimulate and encourage quality of daylight research. We therefore invite PhD students to share their current research projects with an interdisciplinary panel of fellow students and researchers in mutual inspirational and learning sessions prior to the Daylight Symposium,
Per Arnold Andersen says.

10 PhD students have so far signed up for the Daylight Academic Forum.

Natural Light prize winner presents winning project

As a special event at the 2015 Symposium, the prize winner of the Natural Light competition will present the prize winning concept for design of a solar lamp. Little Sun (founded by Olafur Eliasson) and the VELUX Group launched the Natural Light design competition in order to encourage design students to produce creative solutions for sustainable energy and light supplies in off-grid regions.

For more information about the Natural Light design competition go to: www.naturallight.org