The jubilee edition of the international competition International VELUX Award 2014 has just begun

Light in all its forms in the lead role
The International VELUX Award (IVA) 2014, celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, offers architecture students from around the world the opportunity to explore and study daylight in architecture in the broadest sense and to confront their work in a global context. The fact that this is a relevant topic on an international scale is evidenced by more than 3,000 projects submitted in previous years. In 2012 alone, the jury selected winners from 983 competition proposals from 59 countries.

Last year's 1st place, Project Resonance, memory, Bo Li and Ge Men, ETHZ Switzerland

“We want to give students the opportunity to experiment and freely work with the ever-fascinating topic of daylight in architecture. Looking at the thousands of proposals we received during the previous five editions of the competition, it is clear that the theme Light for the Future has inspired students to think about the future – to ask questions, experiment, and explore. For us as a company that offers solutions for bringing daylight into interiors, it is important to support all this inspiring thinking and maintain a close dialogue with future generations of architects,” says Per Arnold Andersen, architect and head of the VELUX Group’s Knowledge Center for daylight, energy, and indoor climate.

Registration is open until the beginning of March, total prize is 30,000 euros

To participate in the competition, students must register, with registration taking place at iva.velux.com until March 3, 2014. Projects must be submitted by May 2, 2014. The competition celebrates and promotes outstanding completed study projects of any scale from small components to larger urban contexts or abstract concepts and experiments. Contestants will share a cash prize totaling 30,000 euros. Instructions for the competition and detailed information on registration and participation can be found at iva.velux.com and on Facebook.

Projects from around the world call for an international jury
Members of the jury for the International VELUX Award represent the global sector of practicing and teaching architects. Diversity is key in their selection, achieving a balance between different fields of activity, age categories, gender, and geographical locations.

The jury, Brigitte Shim (second from the left), who chaired the jury last year

“The wide range of themes made a really strong impression on me. Questions concerning light in so many different forms, the role of light in water, in sand, in memory, and light in the latest technologies are all encountered in the projects. The number of submitted projects itself is a huge success for this competition, representing an international forum for identifying and exploring innovative methods and significant issues. Light is vital for everyone and, in many ways, timeless,” stated jury chair Brigitte Shim when the jury selected Chinese students Bo Li and Ge Men from the university and awarded them the first prize for their project (Resonance, memory).

Czech and Slovak students regularly participate
Students from Czech and Slovak universities regularly engage in the International VELUX Award, submitting their projects to compete in an international context. Last year, all their proposals were displayed at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague so that the general public could also engage with them.

About the International VELUX Award
The International VELUX Award (IVA) 2014 for architecture students is held every two years since 2004. The main theme is Light of Tomorrow, for which competition proposals can address questions such as:

• Concepts focusing on the strength of the sun as a natural source of light and energy

• The contribution of daylight to high visual quality and quality indoor environments

• Opportunities and challenges posed by daylight in the renovation of existing buildings and urban structures. How to use daylight to transform homes, workplaces, and public spaces into healthier and more sustainable environments

• How architecture and daylight can stimulate interaction between space and people

• Daylight in relation to human health and well-being  

• Abstract concepts such as daylight and matter, light and dark, sunlight and moonlight, day vs. night, inside vs. outside, etc.

The competition is not limited to VELUX products. IVA 2014 is open to all enrolled architecture students – individuals or teams – from all countries in the world. All students or student teams must have support and permission to participate from a faculty member at their architecture school. The total cash prize is 30,000 euros. The jury will select several winners for prizes and honorable mentions. After the award ceremony in October 2014, all projects will be displayed on iva.velux.com.