The International VELUX Award is a biennial ideas competition for students of architecture. It invites students from all over the world to create projects investigating the role of daylight in our everyday lives. Endorsed by the UIA since 2004, the theme of each edition is “Light of Tomorrow”. The competition encourages students to approach the subject of daylight in architecture experimentally, and to explore questions of aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, and the interaction between buildings and environment.
The International VELUX Award has enjoyed increasing numbers of participants since its inception in 2004. Since its inception in 2004, more than 10,000 students from more than 800 schools from all regions of the world have participated in the competition.
The 2024 jury of internationally renowned architects, including Song Yehao (CN), Jenni Reuter (FI), Ewa Kurylowicz (PL) and Kent Holm of VELUX A/S (DK), selected two global winners following live presentations by the nine regional winners at the EAAE annual conference in Münster, Germany, on 30 August. The two winners, were chosen from 468 daylighting projects submitted by students from 220 schools of architecture.
Keywords :
Daylight, Education
Prizes
The prize, worth a total of €30,000, was awarded to the following winners
Competition results
The Light filter (Asia and Oceania), Daylight in Buildings - Winner, IVA 2024
Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong and Zang Jiayou with professor Li Xiaodong, from Tsinghua University (China)
Solar Sinter (Western Europe), Daylight investigations - Winner, IVA 2024
Anders Eugen Lund with professor Runa Johannesen, from the Royal Danish Academy
Theme and objectives
“Light of Tomorrow” is the overall theme of the International VELUX Award. The award seeks to challenge the future of daylight in the built environment with an open-minded and experimental approach. Therefore, the award seeks to widen the boundaries of daylight in architecture, including aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, and the interaction between buildings and environment.
1. Daylight in buildings
Projects that demonstrate applicable principles for providing daylight and sunlight into buildings – including the effects of building construction and context of the site, shape and dimensions, window openings, screens, shadings, interior divisions, materials and external conditions.
Specific focus on architecture for health and well-being and projects that address challenges faced by cities, communities and modern societies, and where daylight and architecture can help create change through better and healthier living environments.
2. Daylight investigations
Projects that look at the physical properties of light, basics of optics and materials, as well as technological developments, new materials, storage or transportation of daylight.
The use of daylight in public space for functional, recreational, cultural or spiritual use and the effect of daylight on state of mind, health and well-being as well as the dynamics and temporal quality of daylight and its effects on behaviour and spaces over time and seasons.
Key criteria
The jury’s final assessment of the projects was based on the following criteria, taken from the prize dossier: 1) working with daylight as an architectural premise, 2) the way in which the project had been researched and documented, 3) the way in which the project addressed the challenges of the future, 4) the level of experimentation and innovation, as well as the overall graphic presentation of the project or the way in which the project had presented itself.
Jury Members
The international jury includes the following:
- Song Yehao, architect, SUP Atelier of THAD, China – UIA representative.
- Alberto Veiga, architect, Barozzi Veiga, Spain.
- Ewa Kuryłowicz, architect, Kuryłowicz & Associates, Poland.
- Jenni Reuter, architect, Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects, Finland.
- Kent Holm, Senior Vice President Brand Marketing, VELUX.
Eligibility
The award was open to all registered student of architecture – individual or team – all over the world. Multi-disciplinary teams including engineering, design and landscaping were encouraged. Every student or student team needed to be backed and granted submission by a teacher from a school of architecture.
The award welcomed projects from individuals or groups of students, who were students during the 2023/2024 study year.
There was no limit to the number of entries from each school.
Results
DAYLIGHT IN BUILDINGS
Winner
Asia & Oceania: “The light filter” by Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou with Professor Li Xiaodong from Tsinghua University (China).
Regional Finalists
Africa: “Radiantechoes” by Kenza Kettani & Bouchra Rah with Professor Yassir Aziz from International university of Rabat (Morocco).
The Americas: “Lighting up the Rocinha favela” by Paulo André Pereira & Mariana Costa do Carmo with Professor Eliane Silva Barbosa from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
Western Europe: “Silo of the ambient light” by Anniina Rautakoski with Professor Janne Järvinen from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
Eastern Europe & the Middle East: “Lightroof” by Aleksandra Cassino School with Professor Anna Lorens from Politechnika Warszawska (Poland).
DAYLIGHT INVESTIGATIONS
Winner
Western Europe: “Solar Sinter” by Anders Eugen Lund with Professor Runa Johannesen from Royal Danish Academy (Denmark).
Regional Finalists
Africa: “Sparklingsouls” by Bidzan Pout Fabrice Emmanuel, Abega Ebanga Rosalie Valentine, Tambe Mcwilfried Masoda, Ndibatchou Alexis Junior & Fopa Jerry Karmel with Aba Nkasse Alain, from École Nationale Supérieure des Travaux (Cameroon).
The Americas: “FeatherGuard” by Yining Ma from University of California, Berkeley with Professor Myrna Ayoub (United States).
Asia & Oceania: “Gaplight Collective” by Zehong Zhang, Ruotong Luo, Jiaxun Song, Dasen Li & Xinyue Dong with Professor Zheng Hao from South China University of Technology (China).
Eastern Europe & the Middle East: “(No) daylight” by Aleksandra Cassino with Professor Tomasz Broma Country from Iwona Kin, Alicja Smoczyk, Agata Czugała & Paweł Mordeja (Poland).
Key dates
2023-09-01 Registration opens
2024-04-01 Registration closes
2024-04-15 Submission period opens
2024-05-30 Submission deadline
Summer 2024: Regional winners announcement
Autumn/Winter 2024: Winners announcement and online exhibition
