Vienna, 30 October 2014
International VELUX Award 2014 for Students of Architecture:
Prizewinnersshareglobal responsibility
At the Award event of the International VELUX Award 2014, three prizewinners and ninementions were awarded. A team of four students from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, takes first prize with their project “Light, Revitalization”, a beautiful and profound exploration of the role of daylight in modern urban life.
The first prize winners investigations of the ‘Light of Tomorrow’ have brought the team deep into fundamental contemplations of life and light:
“To us the light of tomorrow means an emphasis on the more spiritual beauty of life.We did not only discuss better usage of light in the future. We searched for a new definition of light. In our project, light serves as a stage, leading us to rethink the deeper values of daily life”, says Du Dikang, 22, undergraduate student at the Tsinghua University and captain of the winning team.
Taking their starting point in the city of Beijing, a testing ground of new architecture, the winning team from the Tsinghua University decided to search for the valuable things that should be preserved from the past and reconnected to modern life.
The jury praises the project for its maturity and for presenting something entirely plausible and feasible, tying together old Chinese traditions and new ways of looking at these traditions.The scheme demonstrates a deep understanding of the role of daylight in a city scale, in a social scale and in a cultural scale.
“The first prize winning project ties to cultural conditions regarding the cycles of the sun foretold in the cultural heritage of the region. There are several narratives at work, and the possibility to heal the urban condition through light. That is interesting commentary for light”,says jury chairman Craig Dykers in his motivation of the winning project.
2nd and 3rd prizes concerned with global responsibility
The jurycharacterizes the 2nd prize as fantastic, tying aspects of science fiction with the real world in a very mature approach, animating a demilitarized zone as an artificial cloud. The project “Morning Glory Cloud” is created by two students from Hanyang University and Hongik University in Seoul, Korea,as an inspiration to think about the possibility of the invisible Korean boundary’s disappearance.
The third prize winning project “Light of Hope” aims to bring glows of hope and lighting to the millions of people living in refugee camps around the world. The jury found the projectboth cost effective, practically feasible and with a human quality expressing the sincere social engagement of the teamof four students from the University of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria.
In addition to the prize winners, the jury awards two special mentions,both from China, and seven honourable mentions representing Canada, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria and China.
All prize winners and honourable mentions have been decided unanimously by the jury.
Daylight remains a the central issue
The jury applauds the fact that many projects sent in for the International VELUX Award 2014go beyond the parameters of design and serves asa positive contribution to social responsibility and society.
“Many projects deal with how light can affect political situations. They tie the functionality of light with purposes beyond what light ordinarily provides. Not just views and comfort, but dealing with challenging situations, social discussions, and pooling the political aspects into the work with light”, says jury chairman Craig Dykers.
The Award organizers from the VELUX Group find the extended focus on responsibility and conceptual experimentation in the student projects important:
“With the Award we want to inspire students to work with daylight as more than just a design feature. We are very pleased to see, that the winning projects and mentions of this years’ award are strongly involved in serious topics facing the world and shows a sincere social responsibility, says Per Arnold Andersen, representing the VELUX Group on the jury.
All winning projects are featured in‘Architectural Review’, and all entries are displayed on the Award website.
Detailed information about the winners, photos, and graphics are available for download from iva.velux.com and press.velux.com.
The past ten years of the International VELUX Award is also celebrated in the latest issue of Daylight & Architecture Magazine available on da.velux.com and in the App Store.
Get more information about the International VELUX Awardat the Award website on iva.velux.com.
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