Pritzker-winner in European Architectural Competition Jury

Winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize, Glenn Murcutt, is among the members of the jury that will assess projects in a competition for European architecture students.

The international jury includes acclaimed architects, and students can look forward to their projects being judged by some of the most renowned exponents of their profession in the world.

Students from more than 450 schools of architecture in Europe are being encouraged to take part in the newly instituted "International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture". To be eligible for the competition, which has the theme of "Light of Tomorrow", their projects must centre on daylight and the role it plays in buildings.

Since its announcement, the competition has generated considerable interest among established and renowned architects, who have given it their full support and accepted invitations to be on the jury.

One of its members is the Australian architect Glenn Murcutt, who won the Nobel Prize of architecture, The Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2002. Glenn Murcutt is a legend in his own lifetime. He has won international acclaim for his dynamic houses that put harmony between place, light, climate and building at the focal point. It will be a source of personal pride and professional challenge for architecture students to know their work will be judged by people of such calibre.

Apart from the condition that daylight must play a central role, the students have a free hand to form the character of the project. The visionary element in the competition and the selection of daylight as the theme played a role in Glenn Murcutt accepting his place on the jury.

The jury
Apart from "the grand old man" Glenn Murcutt, the jury has six other members:

Farshid Moussavi of Foreign Office Architects, England is regarded as a rising star in the architectural firmament, with an impressive list of prestigious projects behind her, including the visionary Yokohama Port Terminal in Japan. In December 2003, she won the competition for the new BBC Music Centre in London.

Craig Dykers of Snöhetta Architects, Norway is another young star. He is currently designing the new opera house in Oslo. He also created the prestigious project Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, one of the largest architecture competitions - and buildings - of recent years.

Both Craig Dykers and Farshid Moussavi personify the young, the up and coming, new streams of architectural thinking that will oust "the box generation".

Ole Bouman is internationally respected as a curator and consultant in the world of architecture, visual culture and politics. He is editor-in-chief of the architectural magazine Archis and teaches architectural history at the Amsterdam Academy of Art.

Ahmet Gülgönen is another "grand old man" of the profession. He has worked in the world famous Louise Kahn office in USA and since 1972 has been professor at Ecole d'Architecture in Paris. He was appointed member of the jury by the International Union of Architects (UIA).

James F. Horan has been appointed as representative of the European Association for Architectural Education, EAAE, of which he is the president. He is a member of the advisory body to the European Commission on education and training of architects, and head of School of Architecture in Dublin.

Michael Pack, General Manager of VELUX in Germany, represents VELUX, who created the International VELUX Award. He has experience as a jury member from a number of other architectural competitions.

This very broad-based jury was put together to give an international and professional dimension, in keeping with the challenges the generation of tomorrow should be preparing and equipping themselves for.

The competition
Projects may be submitted by individuals or groups, with a deadline of 31 July 2004. The total cash value of the award is € 30,000.

Projects must be registered at www.VELUX.com/A by 5 May 2004 at the latest.

VELUX
Where there is light, there is life. This philosophy is at the heart of what we do, linking natural resources with human needs. For more than 60 years VELUX has assisted in creating better living environments worldwide by providing daylight and fresh air. Our core product is the VELUX roof window and skylight, but the system also comprises decoration and sunscreening, roller shutters, flashings, installation products and solar energy. A persistent focus on quality has made VELUX the global market leader within our field. With direct representation in more than 40 countries, VELUX has become one of the strongest brands within the building material industry. Our daily business is closely related to architecture, and we communicate and cooperate with a large number of architects.

Read more about the International VELUX Award and the jury at www.VELUX.com/A
You will find photos of the members and background material of their work. Pictures of Glenn Murcutt and information on his career can be found at www.pritzkerprize.com