PhD students create the first ever international network on daylight

30 PhD students from nine countries gathered on Tuesday 3 May in Lausanne during the VELUX Group's fourth Daylight Symposium to debate their research. The Academic Forum spurred the birth of the first network for PhD students focussing on daylightOne of the aims of the network is to help the students develop and sharpen their methodologies in this field.
The 30 PhD students wore broad smiles, though with somewhat tired eyes, as they exited the first ever PhD Academic Forum on Tuesday 3 May during the VELUX Group's fourth Daylight Symposium, entitled Daylight in a Human Perspective, in Lausanne in Switzerland.
The students held debates with each other and grabbed the chance to engage in dialogue with some of the world's most renowned researchers and scientists in the field of daylight who attended the Daylight Symposium from 3-5 May.
"The idea of the Academic Forum was to get PhD students to meet up and share ideas. It is vital that we support tomorrow's daylight experts. It is my impression that the students at the Academic Forum held eager debates and also got the chance to talk to and learn from some of today's leading experts in the area of daylight. We hope that the students will come to set their mark on the future of architecture, particularly in terms of daylight and its effect on humans," says Per Arnold Andersen, architect and Head of Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate in the VELUX Group.
The debates among the students highlighted the fact that there is a need to further develop and learn from each other in regard to the methodology of daylight research.
The students also focussed on the subjects of energy and daylight, simulation of daylighting, and evaluation of daylight quality. The diversity of the projects presented provided great material for debate and sharing perspectives on each of the student's own projects.
New network for PhD students
These subjects will be on the agenda when the students meet again. The Forum spurred the birth of the first ever network for PhD students on Daylight. It will provide a platform for PhD students to swap experiences and share knowledge in the science of daylight.
The Academic Forum for PhD students is part of the VELUX Group's work with the international academic student world. One other example of this work is the International VELUX Award (IVA) for architect students from all over the world that the Group has organised every other year since 2004.
Facts about the need for daylight
We in Europe today spend 80-90% of our time indoors and studies have shown that if we receive too little daylight exposure in the course of a day, we end up with poor health, reduced quality of sleep and significantly disturbed circadian rhythms. A series of research results indicates that low exposure to daylight can lead to poor health and well-being for much of the population. This is manifested in deteriorating quality of sleep, depression, fatigue and reduced social skills.The quantity of light entering our buildings also has a great effect on their indoor climate. Already today, one house in three has elements of a poor indoor climate that lead to asthma, allergies and winter depression.For decades, daylight in buildings has been used to enable us to go about our daily activities unhindered, to reinforce the architecture of a room and to grant us a view onto our surroundings – and to enhance our well-being. However, the latest studies show that daylight is vitally important to our health and well-being.
Facts about the VELUX Group's Daylight Symposium
The Daylight Symposium is held every second year with the purpose of establishing an international platform for the development of knowledge, views and visions. It is a part of the VELUX Group's vision to take an active part in the continued debate among professions on the quality of daylight in our buildings. Read more at www.thedaylightsite.com
About the VELUX Group The VELUX Group creates better living environments with daylight and fresh air through the roof. The VELUX product programme contains a wide range of roof windows and skylights, along with solutions for flat roofs. The Group also supplies many types of decoration and sun screening, roller shutters, installation products, products for remote control and thermal solar panels for installation in roofs. The VELUX Group, which has manufacturing companies in 11 countries and sales companies in just under 40 countries, represents one of the strongest brands in the global building materials sector and its products are sold in most parts of the world. The VELUX Group has about 10,000 employees and is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by foundations and family. For more details, visit www.velux.com .