The Global winners of International VELUX Award 2024 announced
The VELUX Group proudly announces the global winners of the International VELUX Award 2024 for Students of Architecture:
Daylight in Buildings:
‘The Light Filter’ by Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou
Daylight Investigations:
‘Solar Sinter’ by Anders Eugen Lund
The jury of internationally acclaimed architects including Ewa Kurylowicz, Song Yehao, Jenni Reuter and Kent Holm selected the two global winners following live presentations by 9 regional winners at The EAAE Annual Conference in Münster on 30. August. The 9 finalists from 8 different countries around the globe were chosen among 468 daylight projects, submitted by students from 220 schools of architecture.
Since the regional winners of the competition were announced in June 2024 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. This 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. – says jury member Ewa Kuryłowicz.
Global winner category Daylight Investigations: Solar Sinter
Students: 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 was an energy and thorough, interesting work behind it” – said Jenni Reuter, jury member.
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).
