The international competition International VELUX Award for architecture students from around the world enters its 5th year

The IVA 2012 competition offers future architects a unique opportunity to present their projects globally, focusing on maximizing the use of natural light for a better quality of life. The winner will be selected by an expert jury composed of renowned architects who advocate for the idea of sustainable architecture in their countries.

Composition of the jury for the 5th edition of IVA 2012:

Álvaro Siza, Portugal
Architect Álvaro Siza is often regarded as the most significant living Portuguese architect. Over the past fifty years, Siza (who is now 74 years old) has created an extensive body of work that places him among the greatest architects of his generation. His work has gained international recognition for its coherence, transparency, and what Siza calls “simplicity” – a quality that respects the complexity and contradictions of the given project without attempting to usurp artistic dominance over it.

In addition to the large projects he has designed, Siza continues to engage in architectural theory. He has participated in numerous conferences and seminars across Europe, North and South America, and Japan. He has served as a guest professor at the École Polytechnique of Lausanne, the University of Pennsylvania, Los Andes School, the University of Bogotá, and at the Harvard Graduate School of Design as a guest professor to architect Kenzo Tange.

Siza's characteristic work has gained wide recognition. In 1988, Siza received the gold medal for architecture from the Colegio de Arquitectos in Madrid, the gold medal from the Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Prince of Wales Prize in Urban Design from Harvard University, and the European Architectural Award from the EEC/Mies van der Rohe Foundation in Barcelona. In 1992, he received the prestigious Pritzker Prize from the Hyatt Foundation in Chicago for his lifetime work. That same year, he also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Valencia. In 1993, he received a national architecture award from the Association of Portuguese Architects and an honorary doctorate from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. In 1996, he was granted an honorary title of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Some of his most famous works include the Church of Marco de Canaveses in Portugal (1996), the New Orleans Building in Rotterdam, Netherlands (2010), the Llobregat Sports Center in Barcelona (2006), the meteorological service building Port Olímpic in Barcelona (1990–92), the Portuguese pavilion at the EXPO ’98, the Galicia Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1984), and the Schlesisches Tor Apartments in Berlin Kreuzberg (1980).

Brigitte Shim, Canada
Brigitte Shim leads the studio Shim-Sutcliffe Architects founded in 1994. The studio has gained fame for its exceptional ability to integrate elements such as light and water into every project, subsequently embedding them into the Canadian landscape in such a way that creates a magically perfect connection between architecture and landscape.

Shim-Sutcliffe has received eleven Governor General’s Medals and architectural awards from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for projects in both private and public buildings such as Corkin Gallery, Ravine Guest House, Craven Road Studio, Ledbury Park, Laneway House, Moorelands Camp Dining Hall, Weathering Steel House, and Muskoka Boathouse.

Francis Kéré, Burkina Faso/Germany
Francis Kéré focuses on the development of the locality in his designs, aiming at climate-friendly construction, sustainable use of materials, utilizing local labor, and local building techniques – all of these themes have been elaborated in a number of articles published in international journals and books.

The center of Kéré's work is adapting to climatic conditions, low construction costs, and self-help construction. During his studies, he founded the association “Schulbausteine für Gando”, which secured funding for his first project, a primary school in his hometown of Gando. The building was completed in 2001 and received the Aga Khan Award for its pioneering character and elegant architectural solution using basic construction tools. It was the first of many awards, including the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2009 and the BSI Swiss Architectural Award in 2010.

Peter Stutchbury, Australia
He is recognized for his innovative approach to sustainability in architecture. Since 1981, he has been the principal of Peter Stutchbury Architecture, where a number of award-winning projects have been created and presented and published around the world.

In 2001, Peter Stutchbury’s work significantly contributed to the University of Newcastle receiving the National Environmental Banksia Award for Sustainable Development, awarded by the Australian Prime Minister. In addition to his work at the University of Newcastle in Australia, Stutchbury also teaches at the annual Glenn Murcutt International Architecture Master Class in Australia.

Per Arnold Andersen, VELUX A/S, Denmark
Per Arnold Andersen leads a department focused on the research of the importance of daylight, energy savings, and healthy indoor climate. He graduated in architecture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he graduated in 1977. For more than twenty years, he has worked as an architect focusing on large-scale projects. He has concentrated on integrated urban renewal projects with an emphasis on ecology, both in Denmark and in Germany. For several years, he has actively engaged in European standardization of daylighting. In 2005, he initiated the international symposium on daylight, the VELUX Daylight Symposium, where experts from around the world present and share their insights and research on daylight. Since 2004, he has been involved in organizing the international competition International VELUX Award.

More information about the IVA 2012 competition:
The International IVA 2012 competition supports sustainable solutions not only for new buildings but also for the existing housing stock in cities as well as suburban residential areas. Competition proposals should combine the use of light as a significant energy source and its undeniable impact on human psychology and the well-being of people living and working in indoor spaces.



A total of 30,000 euros is prepared for the winners. The number of winners will be determined by the expert jury. The first place represents a prize of at least 8,000 euros for the authors – students, and 2,000 euros for the supervising teacher. Students in second place will receive a reward of at least 4,000 euros, and their supervising teacher(s) will receive 1,000 euros. The winners will be announced in a ceremony in October 2012. Following the announcement, there will be an exhibition of the winning works and all competition entries from the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague.

The International VELUX Award 2012 is organized in collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE). Students from around the world can submit their applications for the 5th edition of the competition no later than March 2, 2012.

The application and more information are available on the competition website.