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International VELUX Award 2024 - Global winners

The VELUX Group has announced the global winners for the 2024 Edition of the International VELUX Award for students of architecture. This biennial competition, endorsed by the UIA since 2004, invites participants to explore daylight in one of 2 categories: Daylight in Buildings and Daylight Investigations.

The jury selected the global winners from the 10 finalists selected in the first phase. A total of 468 projects were submitted from 220 schools of architecture.

'The Light Filter’ project by students Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong and Zang Jiayou from Tsinghua University (China), under the supervision of Li Xiaodong, was declared the winner in the Daylight in Buildings category. This project tackles the decline of fireflies, caused by light pollution and human encroachment on nature, by creating daylight spaces for humans while using specialised filtered glass that blocks out certain light spectrums. This solution preserves a dark environment favourable to the survival of fireflies.

The jury praised the project's innovative approach, which broadens the perspective beyond human needs to include those of other living species.

The ‘Solar Sinter’ project by student Anders Eugen Lund from the Royal Danish Academy, under the supervision of Runa Johannesen, won the Daylight Investigation category. Inspired by the rural population of Rajasthan, who live in clay-clad adobe houses, this project addresses a common problem: monsoon rains that damage clay walls, requiring regular repairs. ‘Solar Sinter’ proposes to use a Fresnel lens to sinter the clay, transforming it into more resistant ceramic, thus reducing the workload of the inhabitants while preserving the traditional architecture.

The jury praised the impact of the project, which offers a practical, CO2-neutral solution to a real-life problem. 

Explore the Global winning projects here

The International Union of Architects (UIA) is an international non-governmental organisation based in Paris. Established in 1948, it is the only organisation representing architects across the globe working to unify architects, influence public policies on construction and development, and advance architecture in service to the needs of society.