International Velux Award

Devoted to the Light of Tomorrow, the award strives to encourage and challenge students of architecture to explore the role of daylight in architecture.

The Velux Group launches the International Velux Award 2016 to inspire students of architecture all over the world to work with daylight in architecture.

The overall theme 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. A crucial challenge is how to transform the existing building stock, with strategic use of daylight as a key driver for change.

Top: Dyeing the Sunshine, Sun Erqi, Yu Xiao, Han Shilin. Teacher: Zheng Ying, Zhang Xinnan, Hu Yike. School: Tianjin University. Country: China. Special mention at the International Velux Award 2014. Above: The International Velux Award 2016's challenge is how to transform the existing building stock, with strategic use of daylight as a key driver for change

The overall scope is Daylight in Architecture and projects should focus on either: daylight in buildings − with projects that demonstrate applicable principles for providing daylight and sunlight into buildings; daylight investigations − with projects that examine such factors as the physical properties of light, new materials, or daylight for health and well-being. The 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 Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Oceania and Africa. In the grand finale, prizes will be presented to the overall global winners.

The winning project of the International Velux Award 2014, “Light, Revitalization”, Du Dikang, Li Le, Zhou Yujing, Ma Yao. Teacher: Zhang Xin, Zhou Rong. School: Tsinghua University. Country: China