The International VELUX Award 2008 for Students of Architecture wants to discuss, stimulate and re-think daylight in architecture as a crucial and primary aspect of building design. The overall award theme is “Light of Tomorrow”. An open-minded dialogue on the ”Light of Tomorrow” requires experimental approaches and free thinking. Therefore, the Award seeks to explore the boundaries of daylight in architecture, including aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, and the interaction between buildings and environment. The Award is not restricted to the use of VELUX products.
The Award contains no specific categories, but entries may focus on:
- Concepts with focus on sunlight as natural resource for light and energy
- The contribution of daylight to high visual quality and interior comfort that add quality to people’s lives and living conditions
- The rethinking of daylight in urban living contexts, revitalizing urban tissue
- The importance of sunlight and daylight for sustainable architecture that takes into account the rhythms and balances of nature
- More abstract concepts like daylight vs. artificial light, day vs. night, in vs. out
The Award takes place every second year and invites students of architecture from all over the world to explore the award theme. The Award wants to celebrate and promote excellence in completed study works and to acknowledge students as well as their teachers.
Award entries in 2008
2,114 students registered for the Award representing 484 schools in 68 countries
686 entries were received, representing 244 schools of architecture in 46 countries. All projects had to be approved by a teacher.
The number of entries increased by 23 percent compared to IVA 2006.
The jury
All entries were evaluated by an international jury comprising:
Hani Rashid (USA), architect and principal of Asymptote Architecture in New York City. Appointed chairman of the jury.
Enrique Browne (Chile), architect and principal of Enrique Browne & Associates with offices in Chile.
Huat Lim (Malaysia), architect and principal of ZLG Design with headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Eva Jiricna (UK), architect and principal of Eva Jiricna Architects with offices in London and Prague. Appointed to the jury by the International Union of Architects (UIA).
Francis Nordemann (France), architect, urban planner and professor at the Paris School of Architecture, Belleville. Appointed to the jury by the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE).
Michel Langrand (France) is the jury representative for VELUX. Mr. Langrand is President of VELUX France.
Evaluation criteria
The projects were evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Idea and concept: does the project push the frontier and raise questions?
- Architectural thinking: does the project demonstrate expertise in basic methods and disciplines?
- Discussion: does the project consider daylight in relation to human and social conditions?
In the final selection the following five aspects were considered; 1) the level of innovation, 2) how technology was approached, 3) the level of poetry, human conditions and architecture, 4) the use of light; light as premise for architecture/how well understood? and 5) the overall presentation; graphically, how the project presents itself.
Prizes
The total prize money was 30,000 €. The jury awarded:
First prize, 8,000 € for the student(s) and 2,000 € for the teacher(s)
Second prize, 4,000 € for the student(s) and 1,000 € for the teacher(s)
Third prize, 2,400 € for the student(s) and 600 € for the teacher(s)
Eight honourable mentions, 1,200 € for the student(s) and 300 € for the teacher(s)
Award event
The award event took place at the Pisani Palace in Venice on 7 November 2008. The winners and honourable mentions were announced and celebrated, and all the winning projects were displayed at the Pisani Palace for the event. The winning projects are described in the Award Yearbook published for the Award event, and all projects for the International VELUX Award are displayed on: www.velux.com/iva
Collaboration partners
The International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture is organised in cooperation with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE).