International VELUX Award 2018

Description

The International VELUX Award for students of architecture challenges students to explore the theme of daylight - to create a deeper understanding of this ever-relevant source of energy, light and life.

The award runs every second year and it is one of the most important global student competitions of its kind. The International VELUX Award 2018 is launching now! Prepare your project team, connect with your teacher and get ready for registration in September 2017.

Scope

Daylight in architecture is an ever-relevant topic. Daylight has been used for centuries as the primary source of light for the interior and architects have always been interested in and fascinated by daylight; yet daylighting can be a difficult discipline to approach, understand and master.

Daylighting describes the controlled use of natural light in and around buildings. It is the practice of placing windows, or other transparent media and reflective surfaces, so that natural light provides effective internal illumination during the day. Successful daylighting requires design considerations at all stages of the building design process, from site planning to architectural, interior and lighting design.

Today buildings are major energy consumers; strategies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions are therefore called for, such as using sunlight as a source of energy and light. Much focus on sustainable buildings has been on energy aspects. However, health is the most precious resource we have, and energy is only one aspect of sustainability. A primary goal for sustainability should be to sustain human life on Earth.

A good indoor climate, with generous daylight levels and provision of fresh air from outside, is the key to making homes, offices, kindergartens and schools healthy places to live and work in. We spend an excessive amount of time inside buildings – and the air that we breathe and the amount of daylight we are exposed to have a great impact on our health and well-being and thereby the quality of our lives. Therefore, we need to consider the right daylighting strategies and solutions for our buildings.

The award

The International VELUX Award 2018 for Students of Architecture wants to encourage and challenge students of architecture to explore the theme of daylight - and to create a deeper understanding of this specific and ever-relevant source of energy, light and life.
The award celebrates and promotes excellence in completed study works. These works can be made as works complying with the prize scope of rethinking the values of conscious daylighting design with focus on people’s health in living and working environments.
The award encourages projects that celebrate the privilege of being a student; with curiosity and with the willingness to think “out of the box” – as well as consider the social, sociological and environmental dimension of light.
The award wants to acknowledge not only the students but their teachers as well. Therefore, teachers of the projects are also awarded.

Theme

“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.

Criteria

The jury will evaluate the projects in accordance with the following criteria:

• The work with daylighting as a premise for architecture
• How the project is researched and documented
• How the project addresses contemporary and future challenges
• The level of experimentation and innovation
• The overall graphic presentation of the project, how the project presents itself.

Prizes

The total prize money is up to 30,000 €. Depending on the results of the international jury, a Grand Prize of 5,000 € per category will be awarded (4,000 € to the student and 1,000 € to the teacher) for the most outstanding projects. Depending on the results for each region, a prize of 1,250 € per category will be awarded for the best projects (1,000 € to the student and 250 € to the teacher). The jury will be allowed to award a number of special prizes, including prizes for innovative use of VELUX products.