The International VELUX Award for students of architecture 2024 announces two Global winners
The VELUX Group is proud to announce that the projects ‘Solar Sinter’ by Anders Eugen Lund (Denmark), and ‘The Light Filter’ by Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou (China), have been selected as the global winners of the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture 2024.
This year’s global winners underscore a high level of social engagement by the students, addressing critical issues like biodiversity, the climate crisis, and sustainable building materials and techniques. Their innovative ideas are already shaping a brighter future by showing the ways in which natural light can be used for good. Tina Christensen, Director of the International VELUX Award
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.
The work shows a big effort to create an environment which would be less harmful for nature. The detailing really reminded me of the way fireflies are formed, which is a very nice observation. The way that the project is communicated is delicate and very cultural. Ewa Kuryłowicz, Jury member for the International VELUX Award.
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.
Even though it’s not completely ready yet, as no student work can be, there is an energy and thorough, interesting work behind it. The more we got to know about the project, the more it impressed us. Solar Sinter is a multifunctional device that might change the building industry. Jenni Reuter, Jury member for the International VELUX Award.
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.
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About the VELUX Group
VELUX roof windows have been bringing daylight and fresh air into peoples’ homes around the world for more than 80 years, creating better living environments. We offer a range of products including roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products, and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. They help create bright, healthy, and energy-efficient places for people who live, work, learn, and play under the roof. We work globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in 37 countries and around 11,900 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company owned by the Villum Foundation and members of the Kann Rasmussen family. In 2023, the VELUX Group had a total revenue of EUR 2.91 billion while VKR Holding had a total revenue of EUR 3.97 billion. The same year, the Villum Foundation and the VELUX FOUNDATION donated a total of EUR 184.6 million in charitable grants.
For more information about the VELUX Group, visit velux.com