The International VELUX Award for students of architecture 2024 announces ten regional winners

IVA regional winners announcement

The International VELUX Award jury selected ten regional winners from the 468 submitted projects, from 220 school of architecture around the world.

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.

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The competition is a wonderful opportunity for us to nurture the next generation of talent and inspire them to consider the power and potential of daylight from the earliest stages of their professional development. It’s inspiring to see the inventive and beautiful proposals from the students all over the world that address contemporary challenges in architecture, stated Tina Christensen, the director of the International VELUX Award.

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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):

IVA 2024 Winners - Daylight in Buildings

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):

IVA 2024 Winners - Daylight Investigations

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.

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The overall quality of the submissions is excellent. I am pleased to see that most of them are thinking of something sustainable: be it an environmentally, economically or socially sustainable future. We are very much looking forward to meeting the regional winners in August and hearing the presentations to better understand their projects, says Song Yehao, the jury chair.

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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).