Eight student architecture projects from around the world have been selected as regional winners and special prizes of Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026, following an international jury evaluation of hundreds of submissions from architecture schools across multiple continents.

The selected projects represent the strongest entries across the competition’s global regions and reflect a wide range of approaches to exploring the role of daylight in future architecture. Together, the eight regional winners highlight how students worldwide are responding to shared challenges such as sustainability, wellbeing, and the transformation of the built environment by using daylight as a key design driver.

Global competition, global perspectives
Light of Tomorrow by VELUX is a biennial international competition that challenges architecture students to explore daylight as a fundamental architectural resource. The 2026 edition attracted submissions from hundreds of student teams worldwide, underscoring the continued relevance of daylight in architectural education and practice.

The eight winning projects were selected for their innovative use of daylight, depth of research, clarity of architectural thinking, and overall presentation. While rooted in diverse local contexts, the projects collectively demonstrate a strong global commitment to designing buildings that prioritise human wellbeing and environmental responsibility.

The eight regional winners

• Western Europe – Woven Light, Lund University, Sweden
• Eastern Europe & the Middle East – Filtered Light, National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, Ukraine
• The Americas – The Light as Memory, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
• Asia & Oceania – Sun the Quilt, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, China
• Africa – Woven Time, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya

(Regions corresponding to the International Union of Architects (UIA) World Regions)

Special prizes
In addition to the regional awards, three special prizes were granted for outstanding work in the following categories:

• Daylight in New Buildings – Reclaiming the Tropical Plaza, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• Daylight in Building Transformations – Folding Light, Tsinghua University, China
• Daylight Investigations – Evaporative Cooling Celosia, Royal Danish Academy, Denmark

Recognition for students and educators
Each winner receives €3,000 for the student team and €500 for the supervising teacher, recognising both student excellence and the vital role of educators in guiding future architects.

What happens next
All eight winners are invited to take part in a workshop in Barcelona, where they will then present their projects live to an international jury during the UIA World Congress of Architects. Following the presentations, one global winner of Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026 will be selected and awarded €4,000 for the student(s) and €1,000 for the teacher.

About the jury
The international jury consisted of James Carpenter (US), Liene Jākobsone (LV), Níall McLaughlin (IE), Oya Atalay Franck (CH), and Elena Arregui Jaeger (VELUX, ES).
The jury highlighted the overall quality, diversity, and ambition of the submitted projects, noting how students interpreted the theme Light of Tomorrow in response to both local conditions and global challenges.

About Light of Tomorrow by VELUX
Light of Tomorrow by VELUX is an international competition for students of architecture, held every second year since 2004. The 2026 edition is organised in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and is acknowledged by EAAE, ACSA and AIAS.

Find out more:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

The total climate footprint of the building and construction industry accounts for approximately 30% of Denmark's total CO₂ emissions[1]. To further accelerate the green transition, it is therefore necessary to implement and scale new solutions with a lower carbon footprint. The aim of the new agreement between the VELUX Group and Thylander is precisely to accelerate the transition of the construction sector and offer low-emission homes with a healthy indoor climate to more Danes.

Living Places principles to be implemented in rental housing in Greater Copenhagen
In 2023, Thylander launched its Build for Life fund, which aims to build attractive rental housing in Greater Copenhagen with high quality and good materials - and with a 30% lower carbon footprint than required by the Danish building regulations. The Living Places concept will play a significant role in the continued improvement of the fund’s new-built housing. The ambition is to build the new homes with inspiration from the five principles of the Living Places concept; that homes should be healthy, simple, flexible, scalable and strengthen the community.

Thylander is already working on the project 'Gartnerhaven' in Hvidovre with 106 new rental homes and ‘Søagerhusene’ in Smørum with 105 new rental homes. The plan is to add further construction projects over the coming period. The ambition is to build more than 500 new rental homes based on the Living Places concept over the coming years.

With the agreement, the VELUX Group shares analyses, calculations and simulations from Living Places as well as detailed information about the five principles behind the Living Places concept with Thylander.

About Living Places
The award-winning Living Places concept developed by the VELUX Group in collaboration with EFFEKT architects and Artelia engineers opened the doors to the first prototype in Copenhagen in April last year. The ambition of the project is to inspire and show that change is possible and that it is already possible to build with lower CO₂ emissions and a better indoor climate at a scalable and affordable level. Living Places is based on five key principles; that housing should be healthy, simple, flexible, scalable and empower community.

Read more about Living Places

1: https://concito.dk/nyheder/nye-co2-krav-kan-paavirke-flere-facetter-byggeriet, https://www.ft.dk/samling/20191/almdel/KEF/bilag/393/2229190.pdf

In July and August 2024, VELUX Group invited nearly 100 architects, entrepreneurs, designers and journalists from 12 countries to live at Living Places Copenhagen as part of an experiment that builds on years of research led by VELUX Group in scientifically monitoring different model homes to better understand how building design impacts residents' comfort and satisfaction while assessing indoor environmental quality and its effects on human well-being.

Living Places explores how to build homes with an ultra-low CO₂ footprint and an optimal indoor climate using standard materials, methods and technologies available today.

Using 17 environmental sensors strategically placed in the two houses, a questionnaire as well as personal testimonies, VELUX Group examined the houses' indoor comfort performance in terms of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, natural light levels and noise as well as guests’ perceptions of the houses’ functional comfort, such as the layout, their experiences with the community and atmosphere, and their overall satisfaction with the houses.

Five key conclusions from the Living Places Living experiment

1. Living Places can inspire and showcase how to build sustainably
For over 20 years, the VELUX Group has initiated and participated in more than 30 demonstration buildings exploring the future of healthy buildings through full scale experiments. In 2021, VELUX Group launched an open innovation process to change the way we build today towards more sustainable practices and to decarbonize buildings. The result, Living Places, shows that it is possible to build more sustainable and healthy buildings using standard materials, methods and technologies that are available today.

2. Healthy buildings that are good for people and the planet can be achieved by applying a holistic approach focusing more on comfort, energy and environment parameters
Advocating for the well-being of people and the planet requires a holistic approach to sustainable living and building practices that looks at the entire life cycle of a building, from design and construction to use.

3. The way we design our homes can significantly influence residents' well-being and their way of living
Our homes are an important part of our overall health. We spend 90% of our time indoors, yet 1 out of 3 Europeans is exposed to at least one indoor climate hazard such as lack of daylight, cold, damp or noise, according to the Healthy Homes Barometer 2022 and Healthy Buildings Barometer 2024. The way we build and live directly impacts our physical and mental health. The design of the house and indoor environment has a strong positive impact on residents' well-being, with over 70% of Living Places guests reporting improved mood, increased relaxation, and a sense of connection to nature while experiencing minimal negative effects.

4. The design of Living Places Copenhagen, which optimizes daylight and natural ventilation, has been well-received by guests
Designed to optimize daylight and natural ventilation, 83% of all guests favoured spending time in rooms with more natural light while 90% also found it easy to adjust the shadings to ensure an optimal indoor environment. As part of creating well-being at home, functional factors like design, layout, temperature, lighting, and indoor climate can invoke immediate feelings of physical comfort in a building. During their stay, 85% of the guests perceived the houses to fit their functional needs.

5. Living Places Copenhagen has achieved an indoor thermal environment within the comfortable range according to the European Standard
On a conceptual basis, Living Places had been awarded a first-class indoor climate. The results indicate "comfortable ranges" which reflect the actual performance during the experiment period which included the indoor temperature being within the best level of the European Standard (EN 16798-1:2019 standard (Category I)) 89% of the time in one house and 90% of the time in the other and within the comfortable range of the European Standard (EN 16798-1:2019 standard (Category II)) 98% of the time in both houses.

To learn more visit: Build for Life - Living Places Learnings 

This year, the award has a new value-based focus and honours Living Places Copenhagen, developed by the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia and Enemærke & Petersen, as a pioneering example of design that creates positive change and addresses the major climate and health challenges we face today.

The Danish Design Award 2024 marks a new chapter in its history by moving away from fixed categories and focusing on solutions that challenge traditional boundaries. This year, judging was based on five core values: Do No Harm, Pursue Beauty, Lead the Way, Prove Your Impact and Solve Problems Worth Solving. Living Places Copenhagen was highlighted by the jury as a project that combines beautiful design with a low carbon footprint, healthy indoor environments and a whole new approach to how we live together.

A new paradigm in the construction industry
The Living Places concept was developed to show how an innovative approach to construction can help solve global climate and health challenges. The project has been exhibited as prototypes in the Railroad District in Copenhagen for the past 1.5 years, showing how it is possible to build homes with an ultra-low carbon footprint and with a first-class indoor climate - at a price that matches the market for newly built detached and terraced houses at scale.

Design that sets a new standard
The Living Places project has already received significant national and international recognition, and with this award, the Danish Design Award recognises the aesthetic and design quality of the project, which goes hand in hand with the sustainable principles.

About Living Places
The Living Places concept is developed by the VELUX Group in collaboration with EFFEKT architects and Artelia engineers. The first prototypes were presented in Copenhagen in April 2023. Living Places has already been nominated for 14 national and international architecture and design awards and has won 8 of them. Take a virtual tour through Living Places Copenhagen or read more about the project.

The Netherlands face enormous challenges in the built environment that is dominated by a significant housing shortage, houses being built with four times the recommended CO₂ footprint[1], and homes becoming increasingly complex and less comfortable for users. The Smûk house is an example of how to address these challenges as it showcases a house based on the Living Places concept that is affordable to build, healthier to live in with a minimal CO₂ footprint.

The built environment is responsible for 38% of all Dutch CO₂ emissions with 27% of these coming from energy use during the building's lifecycle and 11% from emissions during the production of building materials[2]. These numbers underline the urgency of transforming the building industry by applying new construction methods and ways of thinking.

A new way forward for Dutch housing
Although the Smûk house offers higher comfort and is affordable to build, it still faces challenges in Dutch legislation to actually be built as an alternative to the current housing tradition. From environmental plans and installations to visible beam constructions, there are challenges to overcome in urban planning and to achieve permits.

BGDD is known for its innovative approach and collaborates with local farmers to grow biobased insulation materials, such as hemp and flax. Additionally, peat meadow areas are flooded to cultivate cattail and miscanthus. This not only reduces CO₂ emissions but also produces circular materials for construction. 

The Smûk house was unveiled on Thursday, September 19, at the construction company's site in Dokkum, Friesland where over 350 customers, policymakers, and partners participated in a large event that focused on inspiring, connecting and setting new standards. Her Majesty Queen Máxima, Director General from the Ministry of Housing and Spatial planning Mr. C. Kuijpers, King’s commissioner from the province of Fryslân mr. A. Brok, and Mayor from the municipality of Noard-East mr. J. Kramer were also present at the event.

[1]Coppe8: Woningbouw binnen planetaire grenzen
[2] Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC); Whole life carbon

The jury of internationally acclaimed architects including Song Yehao (CN), Jenni Reuter (FI), Ewa Kurylowicz (PL) and Kent Holm from VELUX A/S (DK) selected two global winners following live presentations by nine regional winners at The EAAE Annual Conference in Münster, Germany, on 30 August. The nine finalists from eight different countries around the globe were chosen from 468 daylight projects, submitted by students from 220 schools of architecture. 

Since the regional winners of the competition were announced in June, the students have been awaiting the chance to present their projects to the jury in the final round of the competition. Finally, the jury saw the live presentations and had a chance to ask questions to the teams. Based on the presentations the following projects were selected as the global winners.

Global winner category Daylight in Buildings: The Light Filter

Students: Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou 
School: Tsinghua University 
Teacher: Li Xiaodong 
Country: China 
Region: Asia & Oceania

‘The Light Filter’ addresses the decline of fireflies due to light pollution and human encroachment on nature. The project creates daylight spaces and viewpoints for humans while using specialized filtered glass to block specific light spectra, creating a darkened environment conducive to firefly survival. The jury appreciated the project's thoughtful approach, which extends consideration beyond humans to include other living creatures on Earth, offering a perspective that encompasses the experiences of diverse species.

Global winner category Daylight Investigations: Solar Sinter 

Student: Anders Eugen Lund 
School: Royal Danish Academy 
Teacher: Runa Johannesen 
Country: Denmark 
Region: Western Europe 

Inspired by Rajasthan's rural population, who live in clay-plastered adobe houses, the project addresses a common problem: monsoon rains washing away the clay walls, necessitating frequent repairs and maintenance. ‘Solar Sinter’ proposes using a Fresnel lens to solar sinter the plaster, transforming the clay into ceramic, and making it more resilient. This innovation reduces the inhabitants' workload while preserving the traditional vernacular architecture. 

The jury was impressed by the global impact of the project, which seeks to address a real-world problem with a practical, CO2-neutral solution. Closely aligning with the theme ‘Light of Tomorrow,’ the project reflects a strong commitment to innovation, embracing the challenges of trying and learning from failure.

The winners in categories Daylight in Buildings and Daylight Investigations will receive the prize of 5,000 €; 4,000 € to the student(s) and 1,000 € to the teacher(s). 

Explore the Global winning projects here

About the International VELUX Award for students of architecture 

The International VELUX Award is a competition for students of architecture that runs every second year. Since the launch, it has grown into the largest competition of its kind with students from 800 schools, from 130 countries of all continents, submitting more than 6,000 projects on the award theme “Light of Tomorrow”. 

International VELUX Award for students of architecture is organised in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA), and is acknowledged by the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and Architectural Research Centres Consortium (ARCC). 

The next competition cycle will take place in 2026, with registrations opening in Autumn 2025. 

Find out more on our website, Facebook  and Instagram

The total carbon footprint of the construction industry accounts for approximately 30% of CO2 emissions in Denmark[1], of which 10% comes from the production of building materials and materials for the entire building and construction industry, including the construction of bridges, roads, renovation and new construction[2]. Consequently, there is a need to implement and scale new solutions with a lower carbon footprint if the construction sector is to succeed in the green transition. The new partnership agreement between the VELUX Group and HusCompagniet is a good example of how partners across the construction sector join forces to realize this ambition.

HusCompagniet wishes to contribute to the development of the construction industry - especially within sustainability and the green transition. Since 2019, HusCompagniet has worked with sustainability initiatives as an integral part of its strategy and is now systematically collecting data and knowledge from its houses and suppliers to establish an informed basis for reducing CO2 emissions. With the partner agreement on Living Places, HusCompagniet will gain an even deeper insight into how to work with material selection, design, CO2 footprint, and health in homes going forward.

The ambition behind the award-winning Living Places project is to inspire change and show that it is already possible to build with lower CO2 emissions and a better indoor climate at a scalable and affordable level. Living Places is based on five key principles; that homes should be healthy, simple, flexible, scalable, and empower communities.

With the agreement, the VELUX Group shares analyses, calculations, and simulations from Living Places as well as detailed information about the five principles with HusCompagniet. HusCompagniet will work to implement this knowledge in several future projects with the ambition of eventually offering homes with a first-class indoor climate and as low a carbon footprint as possible to Danish homeowners. Thus, the partner agreement is a long-term collaboration between the two parties, where the overall ambition is to push sustainable development and translate insights from the Living Places project to homes for the general Danish population.

About Living Places
The Living Places concept is developed by the VELUX Group in collaboration with EFFEKT architects and Artelia engineers, who opened the doors to the first prototype in Copenhagen in April last year. Since then, several Danes have shown interest in building houses based on the Living Places concept.

Read more about Living Places

[1] https://concito.dk/nyheder/nye-co2-krav-kan-paavirke-flere-facetter-byggeriet , https://www.ft.dk/samling/20191/almdel/KEF/bilag/393/2229190.pdf
[2] https://www.ft.dk/samling/20191/almdel/KEF/bilag/393/2229190.pdf

One in four Europeans live in buildings where indoor air quality falls below national standards.  Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, how we build and live directly impacts our physical and mental health. Living in a building with a poor indoor climate can result in severe health issues with ill effects ranging from respiratory and skin problems, headaches, and allergies to serious mental health concerns and life-threatening heat or cold[1]. 

The Living Places concept explores how to create an optimal indoor climate with the lowest possible carbon footprint using readily available and tested products, materials, and technologies. On a conceptual basis, Living Places has been awarded a first-class indoor climate, but now the time has come to test how the houses perform with real people living in them.

Since July over 20 architects, influencers, and families from across Europe have lived in the Living Places Copenhagen houses in the railroad district in Copenhagen.

Live monitoring of indoor climate performance
The indoor climate performance of Living Places was predicted during the design stage using simulations and compared synthetically against a benchmark Danish house through the Active House Radar.

The health impacts of Living Places Copenhagen on its occupants are measured through the data from spatial sensors tracking temperature, relative humidity, C02, barometric pressure, particles, light, sounds, occupancy, and some VOCs and the learning will be shared during the fall of 2024.

See the virtual tour of Living Places Copenhagen and read more about Living Places
 

[1] Healthy Buildings Barometer 2024

With increasing concerns around the pressing environmental crisis, there is a growing demand for more sustainable construction approaches and the building industry has a responsibility to develop methodologies that accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and decarbonized practice.

Over the past two decades, the VELUX Group has embarked on more than 30 demonstration projects in 22 countries, advocating for healthier and more sustainable building practices through full-scale experiments. Building on this legacy of learning and innovation, the Living Places project shows that it is possible to build affordable and healthy buildings with an ultra-low carbon footprint using standard materials, methods and technologies available today.

The publication of "Living Places: Principles and Insights for a New Way of Thinking Buildings" signifies that VELUX is committed to leading the way within the building industry by sharing knowledge that shows why industry actors need to adopt new building principles and adapt to a new way of thinking about buildings.

A book for use
The book takes an open-source approach to sharing the knowledge gained by all partners throughout the Living Places project. Beginning with the ways of working and transformative partnerships, the book unfolds the Living Places concept through its principles and People and Planet Methodology and finishes with an explorative review of the first prototype Living Places Copenhagen.

The book is published by the Danish Architectural Press and will be available to purchase at retailers around the world from June 21^st.

Read more about Living Places: Principles and Insights for a New Way of Thinking Buildings
Buy the book here: https://arkitektensforlag.dk/shop/p/living-places

The renowned jury comprised of Song Yehao (CN), Jenni Reuter (FI), Ewa Kurylowicz (PL) and Kent Holm from VELUX A/S (DK) who met for the jury meeting in Copenhagen.

The jury were impressed by the overall range of the projects that touched on so many different aspects of daylight and the creative ways in which the students interpreted the theme ‘Light of Tomorrow.’ It was clear to the jury that students are engaged in the environmental, social, cultural and political key issues of our time and that they are really seeking and exploring solutions. In particular, the jury were struck by the existential nature of the issues highlighted in the submitted projects on both a global and local level. The jury were particularly drawn to projects that demonstrated a research-backed approach to tackling their proposed problem, with a strong concept and clear connection to daylight. 

Natural light is a universal necessity - there is no life without light. The students' projects clearly demonstrate that what is important for people is important for architects and thus highlights the necessity of working with daylight in architectural practice to ensure a brighter future for all. 

The jury made their final evaluation of the projects in accordance with the following criteria from the award brief: 1) the work with daylight as a premise for architecture, 2) how the project is researched and documented, 3) how the project addresses contemporary and future challenges, 4) the level of experimentation and innovation, as well as the overall graphic presentation of the project or how the project presents itself. 

The jury unanimously selected the winners as listed below.  

The following regional winning projects in the Daylight in Buildings category were awarded with 1,000 € for the student(s) and 250 € for the teacher(s): 

Western Europe: Silo of the ambient light  
Students: Anniina Rautakoski 
School: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences 
Teacher: Janne Järvinen 
Country: Finland

Eastern Europe & the Middle East: Lightroof  
Student: Aleksandra Cassino 
School: Politechnika Warszawska  
Teachers: Anna Lorens  
Country: Poland

The Americas: Lighting up the Rocinha favela  
Student: Paulo André Pereira & Mariana Costa do Carmo 
School: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro  
Teacher: Eliane Silva Barbosa  
Country: Brazil

Asia & Oceania: The light filter 
Students: Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou 
School: Tsinghua University 
Teacher: Li Xiaodong 
Country: China 

Africa: Radiant echoes 
Student: Kenza Kettani & Bouchra Rah 
School: International university of Rabat Teacher: Yassir Aziz 
Country: Morocco 

The following regional winning projects in the Daylight Investigations category were awarded with 1,000 € for the student(s) and 250 € for the teacher(s):

Western Europe: Solar Sinter 
Students: Anders Eugen Lund 
School: Royal Danish Academy 
Teacher: Runa Johannesen 
Country: Denmark 

Eastern Europe & the Middle East: (No) daylight 
Student: Iwona Kin, Alicja Smoczyk, Agata Czugała & Paweł Mordeja
School:  Politechnika Wrocławska
Teachers: Tomasz Broma 
Country: Poland 

The Americas: FeatherGuard 
Student: Yining Ma 
School: University of California, Berkeley 
Teacher: Myrna Ayoub 
Country: United States 

Asia & Oceania: Gaplight Collective 
Students: Zehong Zhang, Ruotong Luo, Jiaxun Song, Dasen Li & Xinyue Dong 
School: South China University of Technology 
Teacher: Zheng Hao 
Country: China 

Africa: Sparkling souls 
Students: Bidzan Pout Fabrice Emmanuel, Abega Ebanga Rosalie Valentine, Tambe Mcwilfried Masoda, Ndibatchou Alexis Junior & Fopa Jerry Karmel 
School: École Nationale Supérieure des Travaux 
Teacher: Aba Nkasse Alain 
Country: Cameroon 

The regional winners are invited to a 3-day trip to Münster, Germany, to The European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) Annual conference at the end of August. At this annual architectural event, they will present their projects to the jury.

After the regional winners’ project presentation August 26-30 at the EAAE conference, the jury will select the two global winners of the International VELUX Award 2024. The winners in categories Daylight Investigations and Daylight in Buildings will receive the prize of 5,000 €; 4,000 € to the student(s) and 1,000 € to the teacher(s).

International VELUX Award 2024 is organised in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA), and is acknowledged by the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and Architectural Research Centres Consortium (ARCC). 

Read more about IVA.

Find out more on our website, Facebook  and Instagram.

The Architizer A+Awards is one of the largest award programs focused on promoting and celebrating the year’s best architecture. The “Sustainable Private House” category awards private housing projects that incorporate sustainable systems and materials, and follow best practices within ethical design, construction, and operation. The “Architecture+Innovation” category is dedicated to projects that unlock new ways to build, including incorporating new, experimental, or unconventional design concepts and materials, or rethink traditional approaches in pioneering ways. The Architecture+Innovation award is based on public voting.

In 2023, Living Places Copenhagen won the EY Sustainability Award in the innovation category, the Innovative Design Award of the Bo Bedre magazine, as well as the “Sustainable Future Award” and the “Merit Award for Architecture” from the American Institute of Architects. In March 2024, Living Places Copenhagen won the “Active House Radar Master Award” and the MIPIM 2024 award for “Best Residential Project”.

About Living Places Copenhagen
In April 2023, the VELUX Group, EFFEKT architects, Artelia engineers, and Enemærke & Petersen contractors opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen in the Railway District in Copenhagen – the first prototype of the overall Living Places concept. The vision behind the project is to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles that aim to make homes that are healthy, adaptive, simple, shared over time, and scalable. These guiding principles are relevant to both new constructions and established communities.

See the virtual tour of Living Places Copenhagen and read more about Living Places
Read more about the Architizer A+ Award

The project has won this year’s MIPIM Awards for its holistic approach to building more sustainably. It demonstrates how to build homes with a CO2 footprint that is 2/3 lower than the current Danish standard. This is achieved while ensuring a first-class indoor climate and by using existing technology and materials.

Before handing over the prize to representatives from the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, and Artelia, the jury member and partner at BIG, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, said:

The winner was announced at the international MIPIM real estate event in Cannes on March 14th, 2024, where the most influential players from all sectors of the international property industry gather.

In 2023, Living Places Copenhagen won the EY Sustainability Award in the innovation category, the Innovative Design Award of the Bo Bedre magazine’s Design Awards, as well as the “Sustainable Future Award” and the “Merit Award for Architecture” from the American Institute of Architects. 

About Living Places Copenhagen
In April 2023, the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia, and Enemærke & Petersen opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen in the Railway District in Copenhagen – the first prototype of the overall Living Places concept. The vision behind the project is to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles that aim to make homes that are healthy, adaptive, simple, shared over time and scalable. These guiding principles are relevant to both new constructions and established communities.

For more information about Living Places
Read more about the MIPIM Awards 2024

The project has earned its place at this year’s MIPIM Awards by using a holistic approach to building more sustainably. It demonstrates how to build homes with a CO2 footprint that is 2/3 lower than the current Danish standard. This is achieved while ensuring a first-class indoor climate and by using existing technology and materials.

This year’s MIPIM Awards will focus on projects that have been developed with ‘a consideration of construction and operational carbon, to climate and life cycle concerns, and prizes will go chiefly to projects that best serve their end-users and wider communities while making a contribution to the economy’. Read more about the MIPIM Awards 2024.

The winner will be announced at the international MIPIM real estate event in Cannes on March 14th, 2024 where the most influential players from all sectors of the international property industry gather.

In 2023, Living Places Copenhagen won the EY Sustainability Award in the innovation category, the Innovative Design Award of the Bo Bedre magazine’s Design Awards, as well as the “Sustainable Future Award” and the “Merit Award for Architecture” from the American Institute of Architects. 

About Living Places Copenhagen
In April 2023 the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia, and Enemærke & Petersen opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen in the Railway District in Copenhagen – the first prototype of the overall Living Places concept. The vision behind the project is to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles that aim to make homes that are healthy, adaptive, simple, shared over time and scalable. These guiding principles are relevant to both new constructions and established communities.

For more information about Living Places, visit livingplaces.velux.com

Living Places Copenhagen, built by the VELUX Group, EFFEKT architects, Artelia engineers and Enemærke & Petersen contractors, has been awarded with two international awards by the American Institute of Architects. The AIA has just announced that the Danish design studio EFFEKT has been awarded the Sustainable Future Award and the Merit Award for Architecture.

With the Sustainable Future Award and the Merit Award for Architecture, Living Places Copenhagen is recognized for its outstanding design and for demonstrating that it is possible to improve human health and energy efficiency and manage our dwindling resources in a sustainable way through meaningful, sustainable, and integrated design. More about the awards: www.aiainternational.org/design-awards-2023-winners.

The news of the two international awards was also received with great enthusiasm by EFFEKT, the architects on the project.

In September 2023, Living Places Copenhagen won the EY Sustainability award in the innovation category for its groundbreaking and innovative concept for future housing, and in November Living Places Copenhagen received the design award of the Bo Bedre magazine in the Innovative of the Year category.

About Living Places Copenhagen
In April 2023 the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia, and Enemærke & Petersen opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen in the Railway District in Copenhagen. It is the first prototype of the overall Living Places concept, and the vision is to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The groundbreaking project demonstrates that it is possible to build homes with a CO2 footprint that is 2/3 lower per m2/year than the Danish standard while ensuring a first-class indoor climate.

With the building industry accounting for 37% of the global CO2 emissions there is a urgent need for low carbon solutions to be scaled and implemented in the building industry. Earlier this year, the VELUX Group and its partners, EFFEKT and Artelia, presented the Living Places concept as one example of how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. An important aim and aspect of the Living Places project is to scale the concept to the rest of Europe and to apply Living Places more broadly through knowledge sharing. The new partner agreement between The VELUX Group and Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma, is the first partner agreement on the Living Places project and the Dutch company will be the first house builder to use the Living Places concept in its development and construction processes and to build a full scale Living Places prototype in the Northern part of the Netherlands.

Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma has an ambition to build the future homes of the Netherlands in a more sustainable way and has already developed a replaceable timbered frame house insulated with biobased materials like cattail, miscanthus, hemp and flax.

A partner agreement to build more sustainable housing
In the partner agreement with Dijkstra Draisma, the VELUX Group commits to share knowledge, analyses, calculations and simulations on the Living Places concept as well as detailed information on the five key Living Places principles: that homes should be adaptive, healthy, simple, scalable and shared over time, with the Dutch house builder. The VELUX Group will furthermore share concrete learnings and know-how from the Living Places Copenhagen-prototype and work closely together with Dijkstra Draisma to exchange knowledge on low carbon housing.

Read more about the Living Places project here

Director of Sustainable Buildings in the VELUX Group, Lone Feifer, received the award together with Lars Petersson, CEO in the VELUX Group and Tina Mayn, Executive Vice President for Products in the VELUX Group.

About Living Places
In April 2023, the VELUX Group and its partners opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen – a building project consisting of seven prototypes that show how we can build future homes with a significantly lower CO₂ footprint. Living Places Copenhagen is the first prototype under the overall concept – Living Places – which has been developed by the VELUX Group, EFFEKT architects and Artelia engineers. The vision is to lead the way within the construction industry and show how rethinking construction and buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles that can be applied to both new and older buildings and communities: housing must be healthy, simple, scalable, affordable and can be shared over time.

The partnership with the UIA conference is based on a shared goal of driving the sustainable transition of the building industry by fostering dialogue and bringing together global opinion leaders and important stakeholders from all sectors of the industry.

As an Impact Partner, the VELUX Group will contribute with talks and knowledge-sharing around three key topics; sustainability in a global context, housing of the future and the next generation of industry professionals.

Please see the full program of the UIA conference: https://uia2023cph.org/programme/

Living Places Copenhagen – a SDG Pavilion for the UIA conference
The 14^th of April this year, the VELUX Group and its partners, EFFEKT, Artelia and Enemærke & Petersen, opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen. A building exhibition demonstrating how to build homes with a CO₂ footprint of 3.8 kg/CO₂/m²/year – three times lower than the current Danish legislation of 12 kg CO₂/m²/year – with a best in class indoor climate. The vision behind the project is to lead the way within the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate- and health challenges.

Living Places Copenhagen has been chosen as one of the 15 SDG Pavilions for the UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen. Each pavilion is chosen due to its unique suggestion for how to build for the future and relates to one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs). Living Places has been chosen as one of the pavilions reflecting the 11^th SDG-goal “Sustainable cities and communities”.

The building industry accounts for 34% of the global energy consumption and 37% of the global CO₂ emissions^[1], and in the latest report from the UN's climate panel, it is clear that low carbon solutions must be scaled and implemented – also in the building industry. One of those solutions can be experienced in Copenhagen from today. With the groundbreaking project Living Places Copenhagen, the VELUX Group and its partners, demonstrate how to build homes with a CO₂ footprint of 3.8 kg/CO₂/m²/year – three times lower than the current Danish legislation of 12 kg CO₂/m²/year – and to a price that matches the market price for a one-family house or rowhouses at scale. Furthermore, Living Places Copenhagen is designed with a strong focus on creating a healthy indoor climate using daylight and fresh air and it delivers best in class indoor climate.

Living Places Copenhagen is the first prototype showcasing the overall concept - Living Places – which was initiated by the VELUX Group, EFFEKT and Artelia. The vision is to lead the way within the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles: homes should be healthy, adaptive, simple, shared over time and scalable. These principles can be applied to new or existing buildings and communities. 

The materials, solutions and knowledge are already here 
As a part of The Living Places Copenhagen project, the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia and Enemærke & Petersen, have carried out a complete Life Cycle Assessment. This means that each material, design and building technique has been carefully considered and mapped in terms of the emissions they project compared to a typical Danish household. Based on this, the partnership have built prototypes, showing that we do not have to wait for future technology to build homes that benefit both people and the planet.

Living Places Copenhagen showcases a total of seven prototypes – five open pavilions and two completed full-scale homes which open to the public on Earth Day on the 22nd April. As an official partner to the UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen, Living Places Copenhagen will host a programme of debates and activities designed to drive and accelerate change in the building industry.

Read more about Living Places Copenhagen and how to book a tour here: https://buildforlife.velux.com/en/livingplaces/visit-living-places-copenhagen 

^[1] UN Global Building Alliance Status Report 2022

LKR Innovation House will bring together all VELUX research and development areas to work on creating VELUX products for the future. During the next two years, an existing timber warehouse in Østbirk, Denmark, where VELUX Group’s oldest production site is located, will be transformed into a creative innovation hub. 

History and purpose of LKR Innovation House 

The LKR Innovation House is named after Lars Kann-Rasmussen, the son of the founder of VELUX. It was Lars’ idea to construct the original building mainly from timber due to environmental considerations. 

When inaugurated in 1995, it was referred to as ‘an experiment in wood’ because the building contains untreated and responsibly grown timber from mainly Danish and Swedish forests. It has stood the test of time as the timber used on the outside of the building will remain. The existing 9,500 m2 warehouse will be modified to meet current building standards and adapted inside to suit its new purpose as a state-of-the-art innovation facility of 14,000 m2. 

LKR Innovation House is expected to result in significant synergies because much of the product development VELUX does today is spread over several locations in Denmark and abroad. Future products will be designed and developed in LKR Innovation House and tested in production facilities in nearby buildings before going into production at VELUX manufacturing facilities around Europe.

Focus on sustainable building processes and materials, plus healthy indoor climate  

A main focus of the project is to reuse as many existing materials as possible while also carefully considering the choice of new materials to minimise the building’s carbon footprint. Just like in the existing building, the key is to use timber as the primary construction material to reduce embodied carbon. 

LKR Innovation House truly represents the VELUX legacy, by providing an abundance of daylight and fresh air through the roof and thereby ensuring a healthy indoor climate. It will be a mix of office spaces, workshop areas and laboratories, where employees working with design, product development and implementation, plus supportive functions can easily collaborate. There will also be several green courtyards to bring nature into the building’s core. The 20,000 m2 surrounding area will be landscaped with respect for the natural habitat. 
Repurposing of the building is expected to be completed in 2024 and, when fully operational during 2025, it will be the workplace for approximately 500 employees. 

Praksis Arkitekter designed LKR Innovation House. Read more about why Praksis Arkitekter was appointed and which other companies are involved in the project here. 
 

The jury reviewed all the projects, individually and across regions, to get an overall impression of the entries, their quality and their themes.

The jury observed strong overall engagement in the environmental, social, cultural and political challenges of our time, that students provided solutions to through the use of daylight.
 

The projects demonstrated a strong commitment from both students and teachers regarding the topic of daylight. Specific themes were recognised as part of the same educational programme in schools. The projects signalled a multiplicity of directions and concerns that light plays an important spatial role as a common denominator and as an inspiration independent of latitudes and attitudes.
 

The winners represent a mosaic of different approaches to the question of light, as they cover a range of futuristic concepts, technology and applications, as well as the more fundamental aspects of architecture, space, place and memory.

The winners from the ‘Daylight in Buildings’ category are:

Africa: A Million Little Lights
Student: Michali Jameson
School: Greenside Design Centre, College of Design
Teacher: Jean Wiid
Country: South Africa

The Americas: Bright Roots
Student: Alejandro Satt
School: Universidad Andrés Bello
Teacher: Javier Del Rio
Country: Chile

Asia & Oceania: Ink and Light
Students: Mingjie Guo, Jingwen Yang, Cong Liu, and Ziyong Mou
School: Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology
Teacher: Rui Wu
Country: China

Eastern Europe & the Middle East: SUNCITY
Student: Alperen Temur, Nasibe Nur Dündar, Nijat Mahamaliyev, and Ezgi Üzümcü
School: Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi
Teachers: Mehmet Cem Altun
Country: Turkey

Western Europe: Solar Desalination Skylight
Students: Henry Glogau
School: Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
Teacher: David Garcia
Country: Denmark
 

The winners from the ‘Daylight Investigations’ category are:

Africa: Let There Be Light
Students: Emmanuel Ayo-loto and John Ogungefun
School: Obafemi Awolowo University
Teacher: Babajide Onabanjo
Country: Nigeria

The Americas: AQIP - Air Quality Index Pavilion
Students: Mina Onay and Richard Schutte
School: University of Toronto
Teacher: Jason Peter King
Country: Canada

Asia & Oceania: Light Therapy
Students: Qianqian Zhou, Gezi Li, Zhu Chen, Fengming Li, and Lurui Lyu
School: Beijing Jiatong University
Teacher: Yinan Zhou
Country: China

Eastern Europe & the Middle East: The Theater of Light
Students: Julia Giżewska, Dominik Kowalski, and Paweł Białas
School: Silesian University of Techonology
Teacher: Jerzy Wojewódka
Country: Poland

Western Europe: Words to Light – Lucioles [Fireflies]
Students: Xingyu Chen, Matteo, Giglio, Ghil Meynard, Noëlie Seguet-Pey, Nicolas Salha, Raphaël Pletinckx, Hiba Nasser, and Ghil Meynard
School: Université Catholique de Louvain
Teacher: Jean-Luc Capron
Country: Belgium
 

An honourable mention, category ‘Daylight in Buildings’

The jury granted a special prize in the category Daylight in Buildings for Asia and Oceania.

Honourable Mention: Melody of The Light Weaving
Students: Yeonginn Moon, Hagyung Seo, Rayoun Hwang, and Sungjoo Han
School: Hongik University
Teacher: Tony Woonghee Cho
Country: South Korea
 

The global winners of the International VELUX Award will be chosen from the regional winners at the World Architecture Festival.

The award seeks to inspire future architects to consider the use of daylight in their work through its theme Light of Tomorrow. 

Regional and global prizes
Regional winners for each category will be invited to attend the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon, Portugal in December and present their project. The regions are defined by the UIA (International Union of Architects) member regions: 1) Western Europe, 2) Eastern Europe and the Middle East, 3) the Americas, 4) Asia and Oceania and 5) Africa. A Global Winner for each category will be selected after the live presentation to the jury

The IVA 2020 jury comprises Odile Decq (France), Sebastián Adamo (Argentina), Nóra Demeter (Hungary), Juri Troy (Austria), and Martin Pors Jepsen from VELUX Group (Denmark).

When it comes to what the jury will be looking for, Odile Decq offered the following reply: “I know when I look at projects…I want to be surprised, I want to discover some things that I will think oh my god, I have to think about that.”

About International VELUX Award
The Award is organised in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the World Architecture Festival (WAF) and is acknowledged by the following educational organisations; The European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).

Read more on iva.velux.com or follow us on facebook.com/internationalveluxaward and @internationalveluxaward on Instagram.

The jury, consisting of Johan Carlsson from JAC Studies, Shane Kelly from TP Bennett and Per Arnold Andersen, VELUX Group, chose the winner from a shortlist of seven finalists. The prize was awarded at the World Architecture Festival’s gala dinner on December 6.

“I am really pleased that this project is the very first winner of the ‘Best Use of Natural Light’ prize. This transformational project is a truly great example of how a big and dense building complex can be renovated in an innovative way. The architects took a radical approach to opening up the ground floor to nature, by incorporating daylight, well-being and retreat into the daily life of the campus,” says Per Arnold Andersen, Special Advisor, Architect MAA.
 

About the prize

The ‘Best Use of Natural Light’ prize is a new category among Special WAF Prizes. The prize is sponsored by VELUX and it showcases the unique use of a daylighting in completed buildings. Special emphasis is put on projects that consider the impact on human well-being, performance and joy. For more information about the ‘Best Use of Natural Light’ prize and all seven shortlisted entries, visit www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/use-light-2019.
 

Special recognition of benefits of daylighting in buildings 

About WAF

The World Architecture Festival is an annual festival and awards ceremony, which brings together more than 2,000 architects to be inspired by some of the most innovative projects (completed building projects and future projects) from around the world and to network with peers. At the festival, more than 500 architects present their projects live to a judging panel. One of these projects is awarded the World Building of the Year title. In addition, there are several other awards. The first WAF was held in 2008. The VELUX Group has been a sponsor of WAF since 2015. See all WAF 2019 overall winners.
 

The recently launched ‘Step’ solution, won the Archiproducts Design Award 2019 on November 8 due to its special design that provides maximum daylight and optimum indoor climate conditions in e.g. atriums in commercial buildings. Read more about the award and the solution here.

VELUX also won the Architects’ Darling Award 2019 on November 7 in the category ‘Rooflight / Daylight systems’. More than 2,000 architects voted, and VELUX Daylight Systems, won the Golden Phoenix trophy. The jury praised VELUX Daylight Systems for “bringing a beautiful and even light to interior spaces”. Read more about the award and watch VELUX Commercial’s award-winning image film here.

The selected regional winners will be invited to the World Architecture Festival 2020 in November where they will present their projects to the jury in front of a live audience.

Based on the presentations, the jury will select one global winner for each of the two award categories, ‘Daylight in Buildings’ and ‘Daylight Investigations’.
 

Get to know the jury

Odile Decq is a French architect and urban planner, awarded the Architizer’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 for her pioneering work, but also her engagement and contribution to the debate on architecture.

Sebastián Adamo from Argentina is the co-founder of the architecture firm Adamo-Faiden based in Buenos Aires since 2005. Their international practice extends to teaching and research and their works are widely exhibited in the Americas and Europe.

Nóra Demeter is an architect based in Hungary. Together with Zoboki-Demeter and Associates, her vast international expertise has enabled her to tackle complex local and international projects, like the Palace of the Arts in Budapest.

Juri Troy is an Austrian architect whose projects concentrate on sustainability, energy efficiency and holistic building concepts. Therefore, the use of wood always plays an important role in his work.

Martin Pors Jepsen, from Denmark, is Vice President of Global Product Management at VELUX. He has held several positions in the VELUX Group including as General Manager for VELUX China and Global Product Manager for VELUX Solar.
 

Registrations are open

The registrations for the International VELUX Award opened this September. Architecture students from across the world are encouraged to sign up for the award and start thinking about their bright idea for a daylight project. The registration deadline is the 1st of April.

To register for the award, students can visit: https://iva.velux.com/users/new

To read more about the jury, visit: https://iva.velux.com/competitions/international-velux-award-2020/pages/jury

The Healthy Homes Barometer 2019, taking the temperature of today’s housing standard, was also launched, unveiling that there is a serious problem with today’s building stock. In fact, every third child in Europe live in what the research institute RAND Europe labels as an unhealthy building, characterized by dampness, darkness, excess noise and cold temperatures. 

Fortunately, there are many things we can do to address this issue Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, pointed out as a response and highlighted 36 different ways to create healthier homes.
 

The design options are endless 

Architects, representing very different practices and geographies, showed how they have designed for health and comfort; and always with the needs and life-pattern of the homeowner in mind.  

Vincent Le Garrec and his practice, Nomade Architects, demonstrated this through a broad range of projects, both past, current and future housing, schools and public buildings. 
 

Nicolas Michelin, founder of ANMA, dwelled upon the relationship between natural light and architectural design and illustrated this through different achievements how it continues to reinvent itself according to the context of each operation. "The light that is introduced in architecture is architecture revealed. It’s through contrasts that it comes alive. And so, shadows become sharper and our eyes relish the volumes," Michelin said, while demonstrating this in some key projects, the Arènes de Nîmes, the Art School of Limoges, the theater of Chatenay-Malabry, the university library of Strasbourg, the gallery ARTEM in Nancy or new types of urban planning projects such as Les Bassins à Flot Housing, in the historice area of Bordeaux, France. 
 

How do we move from “one” to “many” and catalyze scale? 

Professional house builders and developers, from North America and Europe, presented their take on house designs, delivering value for customers and the bottom-line of their business, while living up to today’s building requirements and different certification schemes. 

Leading the Canadian home building industry as the first to include healthy building design, Great Gulf succeeded in combining climate care and use of resources to improve comfort for people living, working and enjoying their homes. “The question for us is no any longer, if homeowners want it, but HOW we turn this into a solid business and make healthy buildings affordable, so it’s not only for “the few” but also for the majority,” said Tad Putyra, Great Gulf President Low Rise. 

Morten Chrone from HusCompagniet, having built more than 20.000 residential houses across Denmark, backed this strong point: 
 

HusCompagniet is a Northern European market leader with strong presence in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, having annually sold and built almost 2000 homes. HusCompagniet takes pride in providing high quality houses at a favorable price based on credibility and well-being. 

Harwil de Jonge​, director of the large Dutch building developer, Heijmans Real Estate, with an annual revenue of EUR 500 million, backed this viewpoint and made a strong statement: “Healthy living should be for everyone, but unfortunately that is still not reality. In Heijmans we thoroughly evaluate our use of building materials: Are they healthy? Are they sustainable?” He also explained how their partnership with the Dutch certification partner, NL Greenlabel, turned a new-build residential neighbourhood in Hooghkamer, providing 283 more new homes once complete, in a much healthier and sustainable direction. 
 

Making sense for the user 

Occupant experiences were also brought forward. A Canadian family told how they felt living in a healthily designed house compared to their everyday life in a more traditional Canadian house. The family of four moved into a newly built house by Great Gulf, designed to fulfill a new certification for healthy and sustainable buildings, Active House, aimed at creating healthier and more comfortable homes for their occupants without burdening the climate. 
 

The VELUX Group has built its business on bringing daylight and fresh air to people’s homes through more than 75 years, and has achieved a clear market leader position in the residential market for roof windows. The VELUX Group’s first step into the commercial (non-residential) market was in 2012, when it launched VELUX Modular Skylights with a strong ambition to bring daylight and fresh air into commercial buildings too.

The commercial market consists of two main segments:

• An architectural glazing segment, focussed on design, with architects playing a significant role in selecting glass or acrylic glazing solutions
• An industrial flat roof segment, which consists almost entirely of acrylic solutions, such as domes, continuous roof lights (CRLs) and smoke- and heat ventilation exhaust solutions.

The two segments vary significantly in terms of customer groups and sales processes. VELUX has a strong presence in the architectural glazing segment with VELUX Modular Skylights, while JET has a leading position in the industrial flat roof segment, and VELUX Commercial will cover both segments.
 

Ralf Dahmer will head the operating area for the industrial flat roof segment in VELUX Commercial.
 

To visibly differentiate the product offer in the commercial market from the well-known VELUX roof window and to establish a visual framework for the creation of the new commercial division, the VELUX Group is now launching a VELUX commercial logo and visual identity.

The VELUX Commercial logo and the visual identity is shown for the first time in public at the BAU on the VELUX and JET stands, and will be rolled out during the coming months in most of Europe as a first visual signal to the market, that VELUX is building something new together with JET.
 

Sunlight as a form giver 

“Light Forms Juggler” by Maslova from Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering in Russia was selected as a winner in the Daylight in Buildings category after impressing the jury by asking relevant questions about the way we design buildings today.

The project invites us to take a fresh look at architecture. At present, a very significant problem is insufficient lighting in buildings. But at the same time, there is so much sunlight. So how do we shape buildings to capture the maximum amount of natural light? 

The project suggests a change in the shape of buildings and their openings, where rectangular shapes increasingly limit the penetration of light into space. It also analyses various alternative forms that maximise the potential of natural light penetration as well as investigating the shadows cast by buildings.

Paving the way with light 

The global winner in the Daylight Investigations category, “Road to Light”, took home the prize after creating a well researched project that thoroughly addresses a real problem and presents a simple and practical solution.

The project, created by students from Tianjin University in China, stems from a very basic need for safe passage between communities. With the lack of road infrastructure and electricity in the mountainous topography of rural China, getting to school can be a very dangerous task for children – especially when coming home in the dark.

The team suggest introducing a small amount of inexpensive fluorite to the pathways. The bright colours of the stones will glow for several hours at night when irradiated by daylight during the day. Almost all provinces in China have large fluorite mines and the coarse processing of the raw stone into pavement material makes is economically feasible for poor rural areas.

The two winning teams received their awards, together with the overall winners of the professional architects’ categories, at the World Architecture Festival’s closing gala dinner in Amsterdam on November 30.  
 

About the Award 

The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2018 for Students of Architecture is “Light of Tomorrow.” Launched in 2004, and held biennially, the award seeks to challenge the future of daylight in the built environment by inspiring creative explorations on the themes of daylight in buildings and daylight investigations from the world’s leading future architects. 

The distinguished award jury – featuring Carme Pigém Barceló, Rick Joy, Li Hu, Saša Begović and Martin Pors Jepsen – selected the nine regional winners after reviewing more than 600 project submissions from 57 countries earlier this year.

For more information about International VELUX Award, visit iva.velux.com.
 

The study is based on a review of more than 400 academic articles, dozens of case studies and expert interviews focusing on health, wellbeing and productivity in buildings.

The majority of European buildings are inefficient and most do not deliver optimal indoor conditions for studying, working and healing, according to the study.
 

The majority of European buildings are inefficient and most do not deliver optimal indoor conditions for studying, working and healing, according to the study. As the existing hospitals, schools and offices will still be with us for decades to come, we need to reshape how we think about designing, operating, renovating and investing in buildings, the study says. The study is based on a review of more than 400 academic articles, dozens of case studies and expert interviews focusing on health, wellbeing and productivity in buildings.

It finds that the annual value of improved performance through holistic renovation amounts to the following in:

• Schools: 7-13 days school days saved per year
• Offices: EUR 185-315 bn gross value added
• Hospitals: average length of stay in hospitals is reduced to 5.3 from 7.6 days = EUR 38 -114 bn cost benefit
   

See more about the study.

Download the Market Brief.

Download the Policy Brief.

See also the VELUX Group’s Healthy Homes Barometer from 2017 and 2018, which also highlights how the synergies between health and well-being and energy efficiency also apply to our homes. 

• ​Healthy Homes Barometer 2017
• ​Healthy Homes Barometer 2018

See also the highlights from Healthy Buildings Day 2018, which brought together building experts, here.

The VELUX Group has been the market leader in the residential market for roof windows for more than 75 years. The VELUX Group’s first step into the commercial (non-residential) market was in 2012 when it launched the VELUX Modular Skylight (VMS) system. Today, the strategy is to develop a leading position in this business area through organic growth and acquisitions.

The commercial market consists of two main segments:

• An architectural glazing segment, which has a greater focus on design, with architects playing a significant role in selecting glass or acrylic glazing solutions, and
• An industrial flat roof segment, which consists almost entirely of acrylic solutions, such as domes or continuous roof lights (CRLs).

The two segments vary significantly in their target customer groups and sales processes. The VELUX VMS business has a strong presence in the architectural glazing segment while JET has a leading market position in the industrial flat roof segment.

“We look forward to becoming part of the VELUX Group and we see a lot of growth potential and possibilities to strengthen our European business to the benefit of our customers and employees,” says Ralf Dahmer, CEO of JET-Group. Mark Wetzels, Partner at Egeria, is also pleased about the transaction: “I am impressed by the VELUX Group and confident this combination will be good for both companies, their employees and their offering to the market.

“With the acquisition of JET-Group we immediately become one of the leading players in the commercial market in Europe and will begin to merge our VMS operations with the JET-Group to build a new commercial division, which can drive further growth in this market. We also see opportunities to improve JET’s wholesale business by selling some products through the VELUX distribution network, which will also bring more business to our dealer partners. VELUX has always focused on providing daylight and fresh air to create better living and working environments, and the acquisition of JET helps us gain scale and extend our business into a whole new market segment,” says David Briggs, CEO of the VELUX Group.

The acquisition must be approved by the competition authorities in Germany and Austria before it can be completed. The companies will not disclose further information about the transaction until final approval is granted.

Pending approval and subject to completion of the acquisition of JET-Group, JET products will continue to be sold under the JET brand and through the existing organisation, while VELUX will continue to sell VMS products until customers are familiar with the change of ownership and a structured transition to the VELUX brand can be made and communicated to the market. Synergies are expected from developing common functions and key accounts across the two organisations, which will form the basis for a new VELUX commercial division.

VELUX has been assisted in the transaction by EY Corporate Finance and Dentons and Egeria has had Houlihan Lokey and Allen & Overy as advisors.

The jury, consisting of internationally respected architects Carme Pigem Barceló founding partner of RCR Architects (ES), Li Hu, founding partner of OPEN architecture (CH), Rick Joy, principal of Rick Joy Architects (US) and Saša Begović, founding partner of 3LHD Architects (HR) and vice president of VELUX Innovation Centre, Martin Pors Jepsen, gathered in Copenhagen for two days in the end of June to evaluate the more than 600 student projects proposing innovative ways of using daylight in architecture.

After a long first day of reviewing all submitted projects, the jury arrived at a shortlist of 59 projects.

By the end of the second day, projects that demonstrated strong, genuine and well-developed ideas in each of the two award categories; ‘Daylight in Building’ and ‘Daylight Investigations’, were selected as winners

The winners from the ‘Daylight in Buildings’ category are:

• Western Europe: “Reaching the Light” by Joana Robalo, João Umbelino, Ana Ázar, António Lopes and Miguel Pedro from Universidade de Évora in Portugal

• Eastern Europe and the Middle East: “Light Forms Jugglers” by Anastasia Maslova from Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering in Russia

• The Americas: “Light Liquefaction” by Ziqi Chen, Shuaizhong Wang and Zeyu Liu from University of Virginia in the United States

• Asia and Oceania: “My Dead Relative in the Light” by Qi Wang, Jingkai Chen and Peilin Yin from Qingdao University of Technology in China

• Africa: “Light Pavilion” by Fatai Osundiji and Emmanuel Ayo-loto from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria

The winners from the ‘Daylight Investigations’ category are:

• Western Europe: “Cover to Reveal” by Brice Lemaire, Xiaolan Vandendries and Julien Obedia from Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium

• Eastern Europe and the Middle East: “Cloud of the Polar Light” by Anna Borisova and Kamilla Akhmetova from Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering in Russia

• The Americas: “Daylight to Water” by Stephen Baik, Abubakr Bajaman and John Nguyen from University of Toronto in Canada

• Asia and Oceania: “Road to Light” by Yuhan Luo, Di Lan and Yusong Liu from Tianjin University in China

In this year’s entries, the jury noted a clear focus on responsibility and considerations for some of the big issues of our time; like public unrest, crises, refugees and climate challenges, by using daylight as a uniting force and practical solution for communities all around the world.

All prize winners have been informed. Representatives from each team will be given a trip to Amsterdam and tickets to the World Architecture Festival in November where they will present their projects in front of, and get feedback directly from, the renowned architects of the jury. Here, two Global winners, who will win the grand prize of €5000, will be selected.

 Click here to view the winning projects and all other entries.

The industry-leading curved glass rooflight can be installed on completely flat (0^o pitch) roofs, without the need for a plastic dome above. The curve of the glass allows water to run off, ensuring high performance while providing an attractive solution, perfect for installation in visible areas of residential and office buildings. Its rimless, curved outer pane and dark aluminium frame is ideal for discerning architects, housebuilders and homeowners.

The iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the world’s most prestigious design prizes, and this year’s edition saw over 6,400 entries from 54 countries.

This was the first preview of the initial construction phase of the new museum of antiquities in Narbonne, designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with museum specialist Studio Adrian Gardère. At this occasion, the new name of the museum was also announced: NARBO VIA.

The dignitaries got a glimpse, not only of the magnitude of the building itself, but also its comprehensive environmental strategy featuring a precast concrete roof canopy supported by load-bearing SIREWALLs (Structural Insulated Rammed Earth).

Bringing the outside, inside with skylights

The delegation also witnessed the installation – currently underway – of a large-scale, highly elegant glass roof construction using VELUX Modular Skylights. While many of the exhibits need to be protected from sunlight, these skylights will flood the museum’s signature collection of Roman relief sculptures - displayed in a dynamic storage wall - as well as the communal spaces, with carefully modulated natural light.

Brent Møller, architect and designer at the VELUX Group, who worked closely with Foster + Partners in developing VELUX Modular Skylights, said:

The original co-development of VELUX Modular Skylights with Foster + Partners provided valuable insight into the design and functional possibilities of the system, and this has ensured an optimum usage of the system in this project.

The glass roof construction comprises a total of 150 skylight modules, which run across the building providing natural daylight and enhancing the building’s thermal performance.

The members of the jury are:

• One representative from the 2017 Pritzker Prize winners, RCR Arquitectes. Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta from Spain
• Rick Joy, founder of Rick Joy Architects, USA,
• Li Hu, founding partner of OPEN Architecture, China,
• Sasa Begovic, founding partner and principal architect of 3LHD architects, Croatia
• Martin Pors Jepsen, vice president of VELUX Innovation Center, Denmark.

The jury has the task of evaluating all the daylight projects from around the world to elect firstly the regional winners from Americas, Africa, Asia/Oceania, Eastern Europe/Middle East and Western Europe in June 2018 – and finally to elect the overall and global winners at a live critique session in October 2018.

To participate in the International VELUX Award 2018, students of architecture needs to register on iva.velux.com before 1 April 2018 and submit their daylight project by 15 June 2018. There are two project categories; 1) daylight in buildings and 2) daylight investigations. Every student project has to be backed by a teacher and both the winning students and their teachers are recognised with money prizes.

More about the jury

RCR Arquitectes. Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta from Spain, who were named the laureates of the 2017 Pritzker Prize, becoming the first trio of architects to be bestowed the profession’s highest accolade. RCR have won various national and international competitions ranging from a Lighthouse in Punta Aldea in 1988, through the Meditel new head-quarters in Casablanca, The Edge Business Bay in Dubai or the Condal linear park and Province Courts in Barcelona to one of the most recent projects, the Miró country house and studio Museum in Mont-Roig del Camp. RCR Arquitectes have participated in several international exhibitions such as the III Salon International de l’Architecture in Paris, the Venice Biennale, MOMA, New York and the Toto Gallery. Ma in Tokyo. A main characteristic of their works is reaction to the landscape by revealing new dimensions in the topography and with the choice of materials they are concerned with the experience of light, shadow, earth, water and air.

Rick Joy Architects, founded in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Beginning with the firm’s first full building commission, virtually every project has received a multitude of architectural design accolades. With a body of completed work consisting of both private and public commissions, Rick Joy Architects has gained substantial international recognition. Rick Joy has participated in multiple exhibitions while being featured in over 150 publications worldwide as well as he has lectured extensively throughout the United States and around the globe; a.o in Finland, Spain, Australia, India, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Chile. Joy's primary interest is in the quality of the spaces he makes He is known for his use of locally available materials and of the region’s abundant sun and sky, with plays of light and shadow.

Li Hu, founding partner of OPEN, China, and former partner of Steven Holl Architects, and director of Columbia University GSAPP’s Studio-X Beijing. During his partnership with Steven Holl, Li Hu was responsible for some of the firm’s influential urban projects in Asia, including Linked Hybrid in Beijing, Vanke Center in Shenzhen, Raffles City in Chengdu and Sifang Art Museum in Nanjing. With OPEN and his partner Huang Wenjing projects include; Gehua Youth and Cultural Center, Garden School/Beijing No.4 High School Fangshan Campus, Stepped Courtyards, HEX-SYS, Tsinghua Ocean Center, Pingshan Performing Arts Center, Tank Shanghai and Dialogue by the Sea. In this, his latest project, diffused light endows the place with a bright and uplifting spirit to produce a multi-functional gallery space. As a giant time glass, time and natural light flow softly into the space.

Sasa Begovic, founding partner and principal architect of 3LHD architects, Croatia. He has been a visiting critic, workshop leader and lecturer in Europe and US. Since fall 2017 he has been visiting associate professor at Cornell University, AAP, Department of Architecture, Ithaca, USA. Projects, such as Memorial Bridge in Rijeka, Sports Hall Bale, Croatian Pavilions on EXPO 2005 in Aichi Japan and 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain, Riva waterfront in Split, Zagreb Dance Centre, Centre Zamet and Hotel Lone are some of the important highlights of the practice. Currently 3LHD works on project in Zurich, Rovinj, Guangzhou, Dubrovnik and Zagreb. In works like the Zamet centre, they work with concave, and flat hexagonal ceramic tiles as important elements that refract daylight - even on a cloudy day.

Martin Pors Jepsen, vice president of VELUX Innovation Center in Denmark. He holds a M.Sc. in International Business and Modern Languages and has held several commercial positions in the VELUX Group; a.o as general manager for VELUX China and global product manager for VELUX Solar energy. From 2010 to 2016, Martin Pors Jepsen was general manager for VELUX Modular Skylights. He also serves as assistant Professor and study program manager at the Copenhagen Business School.

The International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture has been running every second year since 2003, with prize giving events in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. 4,500 student teams have participated over the years representing more than 80 countries worldwide.

The International VELUX Award is arranged in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and acknowledged by: The European Association for Architectural Education, The American Institute of Architecture Students, the Architectural Research Centers Consortium, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.

Read more in iva.velux.com or follow us on facebook.com/internationalveluxaward

Reviewed by a high-profile juryIn June 2018, an international jury with high-profile architectural professionals and UIA (International Union of Architects) representatives will convene to review all the submitted projects online, and will appoint 5 regional winners in each of the two categories. The ten regional winners then personally present their project to the jury, who elect one global winner in each of the two categories.

All winning projects will be awarded within a total prize sum of up to €30,000, and the winners will be celebrated at an award event in October 2018

What is required to participate?
To participate, you need to be enrolled at a school of architecture and register your participation at iva.velux.com and eventually submit your daylight project by 15 June, 2018.

There are two project categories: 1) daylight in buildings; and 2) daylight investigations.

Every student project needs to be backed by a tutor and both the winning students and their tutors are recognised and win prizes.

The No. 1 global award for students of architecture
The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2018 for Students of Architecture is “Light of Tomorrow.”

Running every second year, the award has grown into the biggest global student award within architecture, since it was held for the first time in 2003. So far, 4,500 student teams have participated over the years, representing more than 60 countries worldwide, and the juries have included 30 high-profile architects from practice and teaching.

See all winning projects as well as the award brief and detailed information about registration and participation on the IVA website.

One out of six Europeans were revealed to live in unhealthy buildings (characterized by leaking roofs, damp floors, walls or foundations). People living in unhealth buildings are more likely to suffer from asthma and other pulmonary diseases, in fact the risk can rise by 40%. The study is the third of the linkage between health and indoor living environments.

Besides the healthy homes studies, we will be presenting:

• A new vision for healthy and human centric buildings, The Circadian House
• An affordable, sustainable and replicable renovation concept for social housing residentials
• School renovation learnings and best-practices leading to pupils’ improved learning and performance
• An ActiveHouse label supporting building designs balancing the need for comfortable indoor living environments, energy efficiency and wise use of natural resources
• Key findings from ActiveHouse demonstration buildings.

For more about the studies, http://www.velux.com/article/2017/sharing-knowledge-at-two-main-building-science-conferences

At Healthy Buildings Europe, we will be hosting a workshop under the theme “How to renovate residential buildings efficiently and affordably?”.

Learn more about our: latest research and knowledge, our social housing renovation concept, and our latest Healthy Homes Barometer.

Be part of our conversation about daylight and architecture, building the bridge from evidence to practice on Twitter @TheDaylightSite

The key conclusion from the two days is that research and architectural practice are truly approaching each other. The use of tools, simulations and virtual reality technology can really establish a common understanding of the importance of daylight for us as humans – who are living a vast majority of our time indoors. And also; that tools alone cannot do the job. A good deal of common sense, the use of our senses and our awareness of beauty and ‘feeling well’ must not be forgotten.

Architecture starts where daylight hits the wall
Stefan Behnisch from Behnisch Architekten (DE) had the first keynote lecture “Daylight as a qualitative aspect and driving element in developing architecture” and shared how he as an architect specifically appreciated the sensation of light in space.

He quoted Louis Kahn “architecture appears for the first time when the sunlight hits a wall” and continued “even if a building is fulfilling all technical specifications, you will have no guarantee for the quality of the light when it hits the wall”.

He illustrated his speech with examples of his work where reflective and translucent surfaces were crucial for the daylight sensation.

One big architectural narrative
For Omar Gandhi, recognized as one of the world’s top 20 young architects by Wallpaper* magazine, the role of daylight in the creative process was also unquestionable too.

“Daylight can be used as one big architectural narrative. Just like a movie plot, with low and high points,” he said and showed how he had used it as design concept in a string of buildings, from Shantih to Harbour Heights to Rabbit Snare Gorge. Spatial experiences can be configured by using daylight to create particular moments and highlight special spaces through light contrasts.

A responsibility to give light back
Jacob Strømann-Andersen from Henning Larsen Architects demonstrated the legacy from Henning Larsen’s daylight thinking by showcasing a school project where daylight and variability increased the joy of learning. Students learn 20% faster when surrounded by good daylight conditions.

Peter Andreas Sattrup representing the Association of Danish Architectural Firms called for an increase in collaboration and data sharing between existing built-environments and the research community to further create value in the design phase of future buildings. “We need to better understand how buildings perform – dialogue is the essence here”, said Sattrup.

James Carpenter from James Carpenter Design Associates JCA shared his office’s approach to architecture by stating "when you build or privatize space there is a responsibility to give light back".

Double space and possibilities of use
Anne Lacaton demonstrated in her presentation how buildings can be renovated with daylight-solutions; including how to modify and renovate a 70’s high rise building in Paris without relocating the residents by adding extra square meters of living space to improve the quality of indoor life.

These renovations were carried out for one third of the costs of demolishing and rebuilding.

“Never demolish, always add, extend and give more”, Lacaton said and elaborated how buildings should provide “generosity of space and economy to serve life, uses and appropriation”.

Light affects our immune system and alertness
Award winning researcher, Marilyne Andersen from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, shared groundbreaking research with occupant-centric daylight simulations based on the evaluation of health effects attributed to daylight in building design and stated “light affects our immune system, our alertness and sleep quality”.

Dean Hawkes, emeritus fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge shared insights and images from 25 years of experience of living in his private house a “circadian house” that is in balance with nature and seasonal cycles.

Evidence-based architecture, a strong bridge from knowledge to practice
Implementing modern research results focused on human wellbeing, people and society could enhance the design of schools, universities and hospitals, noted Lone Wiggers architect and partner in Scandinavia’s oldest and largest architectural practices C.F. Møller.

”If we can shorten recovery rates, bring down human error and foster happiness, we can by far outweigh the construction costs,” she pointed out.

Can outdoor work spaces make us more efficient?
Christoph Reinhart from Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrated how environmental simulations can lead to better conditions in outdoor spaces with his presentation “Daylighting the millennials”.

Reinhart introduced an outdoor WIFI monitoring tool and work spot, the “Soofa”, as a concept to address the daylight deficit in modern living and raised basic but essential questions: Should we reconsider the way we plan workspaces in the future? Could we do more efficient work outdoor?

Watch keynote presentations by Stefan Behnisch, Omar Gandhi, Anne Lacaton, Lone Wiggers.

Watch the symposium video “The essence of daylight” 

The theme of the 7th Daylight Symposium is “Healthy & Climate-Friendly Architecture – from knowledge to practice.” It will focus specifically on the use of daylight – to create buildings that promote human health and wellbeing, and minimize the negative impact of man-made structures and activities on climate change.

It is crucial that we rethink the way we design our homes, workplaces, schools and cities to address the challenges faced by our lifestyles in modern societies. 

Watch live the keynote speakers here: 

The four keynote presentations are:

3 May, 9:20 AM CEST“Daylight as a qualitative aspect and driving element in developing architecture” by Stefan Behnisch

Watch the entire presentation here

Stefan Behnisch (Germany), Behnisch Architekten, is an award-winning architect and advocate of sustainable design. He studied philosophy, economics and architecture. Prior to establishing his own practice in 1989, he worked as an architect at Behnisch & Partner, the practice run by his father, Prof. Günter Behnisch. Since 2005, Stefan Behnisch’s firm, Behnisch Architekten, opened offices in Los Angeles (1999-2011), Boston and Munich. In 2007, he received a Global Award for Sustainable Architecture and in 2013 the “Energy Performance + Architecture Award.” He is a member of the BDA, the RIBA, the NCARB and the AIA. See more on The Daylight Site.

3 May, 2 PM CEST“Using natural light as a tool for creating a strong architectural narrative” by Omar Gandhi 

Watch the entire presentation here

Omar Gandhi (Canada), Omar Gandhi Architect, is recognized as one of the world’s top 20 young architects by Wallpaper* Magazine, one of Canada’s 20 most influential people by Monocle Magazine, and as one of 2016’s ‘Emerging Voices’ by The Architectural League of New York, the sessional instructor at his Alma Mater, Dalhousie University, is most definitely leaving his mark on the architecture community. See more on The Daylight Site.

4 May, 9:10 AM CEST“Freedom of use” by Anne Lacaton

Watch the entire presentation here

Anne Lacaton (France) is an award-winning architect and part of the duo Lacaton & Vassal, having made reuse of existing materials and integration of daylighting in standard construction their signature architecture and adding a social dimension to architectural design. See more on The Daylight Site.

4 May, 2:20 PM CEST“Happy people in healthy architecture” by Lone Wiggers

Watch the entire presentation here 

Lone Wiggers (Denmark) architect maa and partner in C.F. Møller (since 1997), at present with a staff of approx. 325 employees divided between six departments in Aarhus, Aalborg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and London. She has taken part in a large number of projects with a broadness ranging from housing, domiciles, schools, senior institutions, hospitals, museums to planning and design. The projects have been conducted as sketching, project supervisor and design responsible partner. Recent projects include, the brand new Technical Faculty Building in Odense (Southern University of Denmark), designed by C.F. Møller. See more on The Daylight Site. 

So what role is left for architects and planners when we are trailing out of sync with natural lighting cycles? How can we rethink buildings so they address challenges posed by modern societies?

These are some of the topics leading architects, researchers and experts from around the world will discuss at the Daylight Symposium, to be held for the 7^th time in Berlin.

Keynote speakers
For two days they will collaborate to launch and exchange knowledge, experience and viewpoints on how to bring architecture forward and ensure it nurtures all aspects of human living.

The keynote speakers are:

• Stefan Behnisch (Germany), Behnisch Architekten, an award-winning architect and advocate of sustainable design - has led the company over the last more than 25 years as a successful international practice with offices in Stuttgart, Munich and Boston.
• Omar Gandhi (Canada), Omar Gandhi Architects (Canada) is one of Canada’s leading young architecture studios with offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Toronto and most recently named one of The Architectural League of New York’s ’Emerging Voices’ of 2016.
• Anne Lacaton or Jean-Philippe Vassal (France), principals of an award-winning architect firm, Lacaton & Vassal, having made reuse of existing materials and integration of daylighting in standard construction their signature architecture and adding a social dimension to architectural design.
• Lone Wiggers (Denmark), architect maa and partner in C.F. Møller with offices in Aarhus, Aalborg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and London. Wiggers has taken part in a large number of projects with a broadness ranging from housing, domiciles, schools, hospitals, museums to planning and design.

View the programme in its entirety at http://thedaylightsite.com/symposium/2017-2/programme/

Daylighting in the Millennials by Christoph Reinhart from MIT
Building scientist and leader of MIT's Sustainable Design Lab (the US), Christoph Reinhart, will elaborate on the topic "Daylighting the Millennials" and how building and lighting concepts in today's societies need to be flexible as we now work anywhere anytime.

For more about the Daylight Symposium see: http://www.velux.com/article/2016/daylight-symposium-in-berlin

The VELUX Group is proud to announce the two global winners of the International VELUX Award 2016 for Students of Architecture:

Redistribution of Light by Kwang Hoon Lee, Hyuk Sung Kwon and Yu Min Park, Republic of Korea. This project was the winner in the Daylight in Buildings category and looked at the semi-underground spaces in Seoul city which emerged in the 1970s as air-raid shelters. As the population grew, the spaces transformed into illegal housing. They are characterised by small, eye-level windows that admit very little light. The project suggests how daylight to the interior spaces by day, and artificial light to the narrow roads by night, can both be amplified.

The jury found this project highly viable. It presents a simple solution to a real challenge, making use of a very simple intervention of the cubic, sliding window prism. The project is beautifully illustrated and the presentation of the idea and the use of the sliding prism is convincing.

Light for the Blind by Jiafeng Li, Chenlu Wang, Guiding Yao, Jiebei Yang, Lushan Ao, Xiaoqi Chen and Jiawen Li, China. This project was the winner in the Daylight Investigations category and looked at Synaesthesia – a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second. The idea of the project is to change the way people usually experience light – with their eyes – to ‘feeling’ it with their hands. It considers how blind people would be able to feel a world with light and enjoy the beauty of light and shadow, legible in surfaces as braille.

The jury found this to be a very intelligent project in the way it develops its idea; from understanding that loss of sight increases the acuity of other senses, to the search for a material that responds to light by expanding and retracting. The proposal offers a clear idea that is beautifully presented.

The International VELUX Award aims to inspire students of architecture to consider daylight as a principle source for the health, well-being and joy.

The global winners were presented together with the overall winners in the professional architects’ categories at the World Architecture Festival’s (WAF) closing gala in Berlin on 18^th November.

About the Award

The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2016 for Students of Architecture is “Light of Tomorrow.” Launched in 2004, this year’s award seeks to challenge the future of daylight in the built environment by inspiring creative explorations on the themes of daylight in buildings and daylight investigations from the world’s leading future architects.

The distinguished award jury – featuring Omar Gandhi, Christine Murray, Zbigniew Reszka, Francesco Veenstra and Per Arnold Andersen – selected the two global winners after reviewing nearly 600 project submissions from 57 countries earlier this year and ten regional winning projects that were presented at the World Architecture Festival on 18 November.

Images and Film from the International VELUX Award 2016

Download images and films from the global winners’ award ceremony here:press.velux.com

The ten regional winners, who were selected from nearly 600 project submissions from 57 countries earlier this year, will present their projects live to the internationally renowned jury at 10:00 CET on 18 November 2016, as part of the World Architecture Festival. The event will be streamed live at iva.velux.com.

The jury – featuring Francesco Veenstra, Omar Gandhi, Christine Murray, Zbigniew Reszka and Per Arnold Andersen – will then select global winners in the two award categories: `Daylight in Buildings´ and `Daylight Investigations´. The winners will be officially announced at the World Architecture Festival gala dinner on 18 November.

Before going to the jury session to compete for the global prizes, the ten regional winning teams will receive their prizes at an award ceremony on 17 November 2016 at 19:15. All regional winning projects will also be featured in the November issue of The Architectural Review magazine that will be released at the festival.

Live streaming of project presentation

Watch the regional winners of the International VELUX Award 2016 compete for the global prizes as they present their daylight-inspired projects live from the World Architecture Festival in Berlin on 18th November 2016 at 10:00 CET. Connect at iva.velux.com

Light of Tomorrow

The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2016 is “Light of Tomorrow.” The award aims to inspire students of architecture to consider how to use sunlight and daylight as principle sources of energy and light, and how to ensure the health and well-being of people who live and work in buildings.

This year, the overall winners of the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture will be announced at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin on 18 November 2016 and all winners will be featured in the November issue of the Architectural Review magazine.

Regional prizes and overall prizes

The International VELUX Award is an ‘open idea’ competition and is organised globally in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects and Architectural Review. The award is organized in two stages: in the first phase, regional prizes will be given to projects from 1) Western Europe, 2) Eastern Europe and the Middle East, 3) the Americas, 4) Asia and Oceania and 5) Africa. In the grand finale, prizes will be presented to two overall global winners at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin.

A diverse and international jury comprised of renowned architects and architectural media has the task of evaluating the dynamic daylight-inspired projects from students from around the world to elect the winners.

Light of Tomorrow

The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2016 is Light of Tomorrow. The award wants to inspire students of architecture to consider how to use sunlight and daylight as main sources of energy and light, and how to ensure the health and well-being of people who live and work in buildings.

Registration for the International VELUX Award 2016 for Students of Architecture, which challenges students to work with daylight in architecture, is open until 1 April 2016. With entries from over 350 schools of architecture in 60 countries, the International VELUX Award has established itself as the most important and biggest global student competition. Students or teams who are active students in 2015-2016 and backed by a teacher from a school of architecture are invited to participate and need to register at iva.velux.com.

This year, the winners of the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture will be announced at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin on 18 November 2016 and will be featured in the November issue of the Architectural Review. Registered students must submit their final project by 15 June 2016 and all entries will be exhibited on iva.velux.com.

Light of Tomorrow
The overall theme of the International VELUX Award 2016 is Light of Tomorrow. The award seeks to inspire students of architecture to consider how to use sunlight and daylight as main sources of energy and light, and how to ensure the health and well-being of people who live and work in buildings. To participate, students must submit projects that focus on a) Daylight in buildings or b) Daylight investigations that consider the physical properties of light.

Regional prizes and overall prizes
The International VELUX Award is an ‘open idea’ competition and is organised globally in two phases: in the first phase, regional prizes will be given to projects from 1) Western Europe, 2) Eastern Europe and the Middle East, 3) the Americas, 4) Asia and Oceania and 5) Africa. In the grand finale, prizes will be presented to the overall global winners at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin.

The jury has been selected in collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and represents an exciting mix of influential architects and architectural media.

For more information please visit iva.velux.com

Here are the jury members:

Omar Gandhi (CA) started his own design studio in 2010 and is a sessional instructor of Architecture and Planning at Dalhousie University. His practice has become one of Canada’s leading young architecture studios and he was listed in Wallpaper Magazine’s 2014 Architect’s Directory as one of the top 20 young architects in the world.

Christine Murray (UK) is chief editor of one of the world’s leading architectural magazines, Architectural Review (AR). AR looks for architecture that challenges and inspires, and commissions critics and photographers to capture and judge the success of a project based not only on its artistic or technical achievements, but also on its social, political and ecological impact on the place and its people.

Zbigniew Reszka (PL) is co-founder of the Polish architect office ARCHDECO, which was established in 1989. The office is known for creating contemporary architectural solutions with respect to the location and nature of the proposed facility. ARCHDECO was the winner of the Eurobuild Awards 2015 ‘Design of the Year´ for Gdynia Film Centre.

Francesco Veenstra (NL) is a partner of the Mecanoo architecture firm. He has led numerous Mecanoo projects to completion including the Library of Birmingham, Manchester’s HOME Arts and Culture House, the Delft Municipal Offices and Train Station, and Texel Island’s Kaap Skil Maritime and Beachcombers Museum.

Per Arnold Andersen (DK) has been the driver of the VELUX Group’s daylight strategies and initiatives for many years. In 2005, he initiated the VELUX Daylight Symposium and he has been working with the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture since the development of the first edition, launched in 2004.

The jury has the task of evaluating the dynamic and creative daylight-inspired projects from students from around the world to elect the award winners, who will be announced at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin in November.

New partnerships for 2016
For 2016, the International VELUX Award is excited to partner with the World Architecture Festival and the global architecture magazine Architectural Review to showcase projects from the world’s top architectural students. The winners of the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture will be announced at the festival in Berlin on 18 November 2016 and regional prize winning projects, as well as the winners of the special VELUX prizes, will be featured in the November 2016 issue of Architectural Review magazine.

Registration is open
Registration for the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture 2016 is open until 31 March 2016. The VELUX Group welcomes students or teams who are active students in 2015-2016 and are backed and granted permission to register by a teacher from a school of architecture.

Registered students must submit their final project by 31 May 2016 and all entries will be exhibited on iva.velux.com. Follow us on facebook.com/internationalveluxaward for the latest news.

Combining various sustainable building solutions, it explores circular sustainability that is rooted in three sustainability strategies, with constant respect for local conditions and efficient use of resources. The building is certified to the standards of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). The building design is based on the criteria of the Active House vision and inspired by the Cradle-to-Cradle life cycle concept.

In explaining their decision, the panel of nine were particularly impressed by the fact that Green Solution House serves several purposes. They mentioned the sustainable solutions and environment-friendly features with the same interest as the ambition to attract more out-of-season tourists to the island with a spectacular building that will appeal to conference arrangers.

The award and the words of praise were received with delight by a proud Trine Richter, Director of Green Solution House.

The VELUX Group has brought to the project its vision for sustainable buildings, based on the competence and broad experience gained from its demonstration house programme Model Home 2020 and the creation of Active House principles.

About Commecial Building pf the Year
Commercial Building of the Year is awarded by the building industry through the trade publications BygTek, Magasinet Byggeri and Mester&Svend. The formal presentation will be made at a special event at Green Solution House in Rønne on Thursday afternoon.

Green Solution House
Green Solution House is a sustainable hotel and conference centre in Rønne, the largest town on island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It is a world-leading building that focuses on issues such as energy optimisation, recycling and ecology. It also serves as a demo building for sustainable and sophisticated technological solutions for the building sector. Green Solution House was created as a renovation and extension project of the former Hotel Ryttergården. It is also part of Bornholm’s branding project Bright Green Island, whose purpose is to make ”the sunshine island” self-sufficient in energy by 2025 at the latest.