The jury of internationally acclaimed architects selected the two global winners following live presentations by 9 regional winners at The World Architecture Festival in Lisbon on  December 2nd. The 10 finalists from 9 different countries around the globe were chosen from among 507 daylight projects, submitted by students from 211 schools of architecture in 63 countries.

Since the regional winners of the competition were announced in July 2022, the students have been awaiting the chance to present their projects to the jury in the final round of the competition this month. Finally, the jury saw the live presentations and had a chance to ask the teams questions. Based on the presentations, the following projects were selected as the global winners.

Global winner category Daylight in Buildings: TIP: Time Indicate Protection

Student: Zuzanna Sazonow and Aleksandra Pytka

School: Politechnika Poznańska

Teacher: Patrycja Kamińska

Country: Poland

Region: Eastern Europe & Middle East

The project proposes a modular shading system for the adaptation of multi-family residential buildings to answer to constantly changing climate conditions and new post-pandemic lifestyles. The structure has been designed in such a way as to protect the interior from overheating, but at the same time allow natural daylight to enter.

What the jury really liked about this modular shading system was that it's transforming a facade of an existing building into a more beautiful solution. The combination of aesthetics and technical elements was appreciated because it addresses the very prominent problems of avoiding glare and heat in city buildings.

The jury was impressed by the project's potential for far-reaching applicability and the way in which it sets out to improve issues in current buildings. 
 

Global winner category Daylight Investigations: FLight

Students: Sajjad Navidi, Mahya Mousavi Sadr, Elham Bahadori

School: University of Art, Tehran

Teacher: Rima Fayaz and Maryam Fakhari

Country: Iran

Region: Eastern Europe & Middle East

The project responds to issues of displacement and war, specifically in the spatial context of refugee camps. With children in focus, the project is both an outdoor game and a source of light. This simple but effective device provides both a sense of safety and security as well as much needed joy in a difficult situation.  The jury was drawn to the project due to its simplicity but also the way  it addressed a dreadful problem in a poetic and joyful way.

The winning project in each category, Daylight in Buildings and Daylight Investigations will receive 5,000 €; 4,000 € to the students and 1,000 € to the teacher/s involved.

Explore the winning global projects here 

The jury noted that the submitted projects were innovative and proposed creative and future-oriented lighting solutions. The participants showcased students' engagement in the environmental, social, cultural and political issues of our time and a willingness to actively seek and explore innovative solutions. The jury was particularly struck by the range of issues that the students identified as being relevant to their future. These issues consisted of common global themes, as well as regional and local concerns. The jury was particularly drawn to projects with a potentially positive environmental impact.

Natural light is a resource that will become ever more pertinent given the growing population density in urban locations.  Making use of natural light in architecture is thus an increasingly challenging endeavour, which highlights a need for greater knowledge and willingness to work with daylight in architectural practices. Such willingness is demonstrated by the submitted student projects.

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 (how the project presents itself)

The jury unanimously selected the following winners.

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

Region - Africa:  Aqua Mart 

• Student: Elmarie van Staden 
• School: Greenside Design Centre, College of Design 
• Teacher:  Jean Wiid  
• Country: South Africa  

Region - The Americas: 24-HOUR DAYLIGHT: A pavilion that reconnects the city with light 

• Students: Adrian Paocarima Herrera, Melissa Anabelle Ulcuango Merino and Kevin Daniel Arroyo Males 
• School: Universidad central del Ecuador 
• Teacher:  Paul Esteban Paredes Escobar  
• Country: Ecuador 

Region - Asia & Oceania: Lighting up, Neighbourhood Hop 

• Students: Feng Meiyin, Feng Yijun and Zhang Jinru  
• School: Beijing Jiaotong University 
• Teacher: Wang Xin 
• Country: China 

Region - Eastern Europe & The Middle East: TIP - Time Indicate Protection 

• Student: Zuzanna Sazonow and Aleksandra Pytka 
• School: Politechnika Poznańska 
• Teachers: Patrycja Kamińska 
• Country: Poland 

Region - Western Europe: Spotlight Tree: Self-regulating System in Desert Environment 

• Students: Zhao Liuxin, Liu Wanchen, Xin Guanbai and Dong Zhenbin 
• School: The University of Sheffield 
• Teacher: Bobby Nisha 
• Country: United Kingdom 

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

The winners from the ‘Daylight Investigations’ category are:

Region - Africa: Limitless Daylight

• Students: ISHIMWE MUNYANDEKWE Augustin 
• School: The University of Rwanda - School of Architecture & Built Environment 
• Teacher: Dr. Josephine Malonza 
• Country: Rwanda 

Region - The Americas: Martian Light 

• Students: Gray Burke 
• School: University of Miami 
• Teacher: Yasmine Zeghar Hammoudi 
• Country: United States of America 

Region - Asia & Oceania: Under the Three Gorges Project 

• Students: Yawen Qiao 
• School: Southwest Jiaotong University 
• Teacher: Jun Wang and Huang Xuan 
• Country: China 

Region - Eastern Europe & The Middle East: Flight 

• Students: Sajjad Navidi, Mahya Mousavi Sadr and Elham Bahadori 
• School: University of Art, Tehran 
• Teacher: Rima Fayaz and Maryam Fakhari 
• Country: Islamic Republic of Iran

Region - Western Europe: Solar Hymnal 

• Students: Jaan Gröndahl 
• School: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences 
• Teacher: Janne Järvinen 
• Country: Finland 

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

The regional winners are invited to a 3-day trip to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the World Architecture Festival at the end of November 2022. At the festival, which is the largest annual global architecture event, the winners will present their projects to the jury.

After the regional winners’ project presentation at the World Architecture Festival, the jury will select the two global winners of the International VELUX Award 2022. The overall winners of the Daylight Investigations and Daylight in Buildings categories will receive a prize of €5,000; € 4,000 for the student(s) and  €1,000 for the teacher(s).

Since the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture was first launched in 2004, it has grown into what is probably the largest competition for students of architecture - the architects who will shape buildings of the future.

The award invites students to explore the role of daylight in architecture and inspire new thinking. The aim of the award is to encourage and challenge students to develop a deeper understanding of natural light as an ever-relevant source of energy, light and life.

The students – in teams or individually – are invited to work on projects in one of the two categories: ‘Daylight in buildings’ or ‘Daylight investigations’.

What is special about the award is that it acknowledges the role of the teacher in projects – with a prize also for teachers or mentors.

Two regional winners will be elected in each of the five world regions and the winners will be invited to the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon in December 2022. Up to EUR 30,000 will be distributed amongst the winning students and teachers.

Register now

Registration is open from 1 September 2021 until 1 April 2022.

Interested students must register individually – with name, email address, name of school and country. After that, they should form their teams, connect with their teachers and start reflecting on and developing their projects.

Registration is required in order to submit a project before 15 June 2022.

Register here.

Key dates

1 September 2021 Registration opens

1 April 2022 Registration closes

15 April 2022 Deadline for questions

15 April 2022 Submission opens

15 June 2022 Submission deadline; project upload

July 2022 Jury meeting and evaluation of all submitted projects

August 2022 Regional winners announcement

December 2022 Winners presentation and announcement at the World Architecture Festival

Find the award brief and information on how to take part in the International VELUX Award 2022 at daylightandarchitecture.com/iva/

Follow the International VELUX Award on Instagram and Facebook for all the news and updates.

A source of inspiration

The International VELUX Award is part of the DAYLIGHT & ARCHITECTURE community presented by VELUX. Rounding up unique content created by architects, journalists and researchers, the website daylightandarchitecture.com offers a rich library of filmed lectures, daylight talks and articles.

The content is especially valuable for students of architecture joining the International VELUX Award competition, for finding inspiration and for expanding understanding of the importance of daylight for our daily lives, well-being and health.

Follow DAYLIGHT & ARCHITECTURE on Instagram to get the news and event updates, and be the first to sign up for the upcoming Daylight Talks!

A jury of internationally acclaimed architects announced the two global winners following online presentations by 10 regional winners at a live-stream event on June 23. Those 10 were chosen from 579 daylight projects, submitted by students from 250 schools of architecture in 60 countries. The jury noted the projects’ exceptionally strong emphasis on addressing the complex environmental, socio-cultural, and geopolitical challenges of our time.

Since the regional winners of last year’s competition were announced in July 2020, they have been awaiting the chance to present their projects to the jury in the final round of the competition, which was scheduled to take place at The World Architecture Festival. Unfortunately, that festival was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the jury saw online presentations from all 10 winners and chose the following projects as the global winners.

Global winner category Daylight in Buildings: Solar Desalination Skylight

Student: Henry Glogau

School: Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts

Teacher: David Garcia

Country: Denmark

Region: Western Europe

Global winner - project description: Solar Desalination Skylight

This project works with a holistic approach to providing Chile’s informal coastal settlements with water, light, and energy. The prototype utilises Chile’s abundance of solar energy and seawater to create a solar desalination skylight, which emits natural diffused light to produce drinking water and utilise leftover salt brine for energy creation.

Resource access is a central focus in designing this architectural lighting prototype. These communities have unlimited access to sunlight and seawater. The diffused internal light creates a soft ambience for the living space and the collected desalinated water adds a morphing dappled effect that changes the mood throughout the day. The design is inspired by biomimetic surfaces, emulating the leaf venation networks and micro grooves, thereby improving the channelling of condensed water to increase performance.

The jury was impressed by the proposed solution to an important societal issue. The project offers a technical solution that seems very real and tangible and it answers an increasing global problem. This project is exemplary in the way it is presented with appealing graphics and very clear text.

Global winner category Daylight Investigations: The Theatre of Light

Students: Julia Giżewska, Dominik Kowalski, and Paweł Białas

School: Silesian University of Techonology

Teacher: Jerzy Wojewódka

Country: Poland

Region: Eastern Europe & the Middle East

Global winner - project description: The Theatre of Light

The main goal of the project is to raise awareness of artificial light pollution. Artificial light pollution is a huge problem in the modern world. We turn night into a day with technology; our whole diurnal cycle is disturbed as a result. Humans, animals, and plants are deprived of a natural need to exist in darkness when the sun is not in the sky.

The project location, Izera Dark Sky Park in Poland, features one of the last darkest places in Europe. The idea is to create over a kilometre of land art that gives people the opportunity to observe a slice of the sky as in a theatre – a theatre of light. The light art is shaped as a circle - a shape often used in planetariums – and symbolises cyclicality, the earth, sky, and eternal connection.

The jury found that the project sensitively investigated ‘a dialogue’ between natural light and nature and addressed today’s problem of not experiencing the dark night sky. The project is a convincing example that you do not need to make `big architecture´ to make a clear architectural statement. It is an elegant project and it is coherent in its graphics and text.