The International VELUX Award is for students of architecture in the theme of sunlight and daylight. The award is biennial and was first presented in 2004.
The award is for completed works on any scale from a small scale component to large urban contexts or abstract concepts and experimentation. The award is presented by VELUX in close cooperation with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE).European Association for Architectural Education Official website
Description “Light of Tomorrow” is the theme of the International VELUX Award. The award wants to challenge the future of daylight in the built environment. The award contains no specific categories and is in no way restricted to the use of VELUX products. The jury of the International VELUX Award comprises internationally recognized architects and other building professionals. Any registered student of architecture – individual or team – from all over the world may participate in the award. The award wants to acknowledge not only the students but their teachers as well. Therefore, all students must be backed and granted submission by a teacher from a school of architecture.
History The first International VELUX Award took place in 2004. 760 students from 194 schools in 34 countries in Europe registered, and 258 students from 106 schools in 27 countries submitted their projects. The international jury led by Glenn Murcutt selected three winners and eight honourable mentions, who were announced at the Award event held in Paris.
2004 winners In 2004 the first prize went to Norwegian student Claes Heske Ekornås for his project “Light as matter”. In 2004, ten winners were announced at the Award event in Paris.
2006 winners In 2006, the award went global – inviting students from all over the world to participate. The number of submissions more than doubled reaching 557 projects from 225 schools in 53 countries. The international jury led by Per Olaf Fjeld decided to award three winners and 17 honourable mentions, and they were all celebrated at the Award event at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
Louise Groenlund of Denmark won the International VELUX Award for her project ”A museum of photography”. Twenty winners and honourable mentions were announced at the Award event at the Guggenheim Bilbao in November 2006.
2008 winners RankProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountry1st PlaceEmbodied EphemeralityReilly O’Neil HoganCornell UniversityUSA2nd PlaceInterface repairingRuan Hau Xiong XingTsinghua UniversityChina3rd PlaceLight has a bodyDean Carlo MacGregorLusíada UniversityPortugal
2010 winners RankProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountry1st PlaceConstellation of Light FieldYoung-Gook Park Kim Dea Hyun Choi Jin Kyu Kim WonHanyang UniversitySouth Korea2nd PlaceVariational Sunlight InfluencesMa Xin Wang Rui Yang MengTianjin UniversityChina3rd PlaceLightscape between gapsJoe WuDelft University of TechnologyNetherlands
2016 winners The continental winners of Daylight in Buildings RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaShelter.Light'Fatai Osundiji Emmanuel AyolotoObafemi Awolowo UniversityNigeriaThe AmericasNo parking..Let there be lightEnzo Piero Vergara VacciaUniversidad CentralChileAsia & OceaniaRedistribution of LightKwang Hoon Lee Hyuk Sung Kwon Yu Min ParkKorea UniversitySouth KoreaEastern Europe & the Middle EastLight Scattering WindowKamil Głowacki Marta Sowińska Łukasz GąskaUniversity of Technology PolandWestern EuropeCeremonial Room CopenhagenEskild PedersenThe Royal Danish AcademyDenmark The continental winners of Daylight Investigations RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaLight and ShadowAhmed Zorgui Ala Eddin NoumiUniversity in CarthageTunesiaThe AmericasAutomated Blind StudyAmir Nezamdoost Alen Mahic Malak ModaresnezhadUniversity of IdahoUSAAsia & OceaniaLight for the blindJiafeng Li Chenlu Wang Guiding Yao Jiebei Yang Lushan Ao Xiaoqi Chen Jiawen LiHuazhong UniversityChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastA quenchless lightAnna AndronovaKazan State UniversityRussiaWestern EuropeHammershøi's GrammarNicholas ShureyThe Royal Danish AcademyDenmark
2018 winners The continental winners of Daylight Investigations RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryThe AmericasDaylight to WaterJohn Nguyen Stephen Baik Abubakr BajamanUniversity of TorontoCanadaAsia & OceaniaRoad to Light'Yuhan Luo Di Lan Yusong LiuTianjin UniversityChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastCloud of the Polar LightAnna Borisova Kamilla Akhmetovastasia Kazan State UniversityRussiaWestern EuropeCover to RevealBrice Lemaire Xialan Vandendries Julien ObediaUniversité Catholique de LouvainBelgium The continental winners of Daylight in Buildings RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaLight PavilionFatai Osundiji Emmanuel Ayo-lotoObafemi Awolowo UniversityNigeriaThe AmericasLight LiquefactionZiqi Chen Shuaizhong Wang Zeyu LiuUniversity of VirginiaUSAAsia & OceaniaMy Dead Relative in the LightQi Wang Jingkai Chen Peilin YinQingdao University of TechnologyChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastLight Forms JugglerAnastasia MaslovaKazan State UniversityRussiaWestern EuropeReaching the LightJoana Robalo João Umbelino Ana Ázar António Lopes Miguel PedroUniversidade de ÉvoraPortugal
2020 winners The continental winners of Daylight Investigations RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaLet There Be LightEmmanuel Ayo-loto John OgungefunObafemi Awolowo UniversityNigeriaThe AmericasAir Quality IndexMina Onay Richard SchutteUniversity of TorontoCanadaAsia & OceaniaLight TherapyQianqian Zhou Gezi Li Zhu Chen Fengming Li Lurui LyuBeijing Jiatong UniversityChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastThe Theater of LightJulia Giżewska Dominik Kowalski Paweł BiałasSilesian University of TechnologyPolandWestern EuropeWords to LightXingyu Chen Matteo, Giglio Ghil Meynard Noëlie Seguet-Pey Nicolas Salha Raphaël Pletinckx Hiba Nasser Ghil MeynardUniversité Catholique de LouvainBelgium The continental winners of Daylight in Buildings RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaA Million Little LightsMichali JamesonGreenside Design Centre, College of DesignSouth AfricaThe AmericasBright RootsAlejandro SattUniversidad Andrés BelloChileAsia & OceaniaInk and LightMingjie Guo Jingwen Yang Cong Liu Ziyong MouXi'an University of Architecture and TechnologyChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastSUNCITYAlperen Temur Nasibe Nur Dündar Nijat Mahamaliyev Ezgi ÜzümcüIstanbul Teknik ÜniversitesiTurkeyWestern EuropeSolar Desalination SkylightHenry GlogauRoyal Danish Academy of Fine ArtsDenmark 2022 Winners The continental winners of Daylight Investigations RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaLimitless DaylightIshimwe MunyandeThe University of Rwanda RwandaThe AmericasMartian LightGray Burke University of Miami USAAsia & OceaniaUnder the Three Gorges Project Yawen Qiao Southwest Jiaotong UniversityChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastFlightSajjad Navidi Mahya Sadr Elham Bahadori Rima Fayaz and Maryam Fakhari IranWestern EuropeSolar Hymnal Jaan Gröndahl Metro University of Applied Sciences Finland The continental winners of Daylight in Buildings RegionProject nameStudent NamesAffiliationsCountryAfricaAqua MartElmarie van StadenGreenside Design CentreSouth AfricaThe Americas24-Hour DaylightAdrian Herrera Melissa Merino Kevin MalesUniversidad central del EcuadorEcuadorAsia & OceaniaLighting up, Neighbourhood Hop Feng Meiyin Feng Yijun Zhang Jinru Beijing Jiaotong University ChinaEastern Europe & the Middle EastTime Indicate Protection Zuzanna Sazonow Aleksandra Pytka Politechnika PoznańskaPolandWestern EuropeSpotlight TreeZhao Liuxin Liu Wanchen Xin Guanbai Dong Zhenbin University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
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