The VELUX Group is proud to announce that the projects ‘Solar Sinter’ by Anders Eugen Lund (Denmark), and ‘The Light Filter’ by Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou (China), have been selected as the global winners of the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture 2024.
“This year’s global winners underscore a high level of social engagement by the students, addressing critical issues like biodiversity, the climate crisis, and sustainable building materials and techniques. Their innovative ideas are already shaping a brighter future by demonstrating how natural light can be used for good,” stated Tina Christensen, the Director of the International VELUX Award.
The jury of internationally acclaimed architects, including Song Yehao (CN), Jenni Reuter (FI), Ewa Kurylowicz (PL), and Kent Holm from VELUX A/S (DK), selected the two global winners following live presentations by nine regional winners at The EAAE Annual Conference in Münster, Germany, on 30 August. The nine finalists from eight different countries were chosen from 468 daylight projects submitted by students from 220 schools of architecture.
Since the announcement of the regional winners in June, the students have been eagerly awaiting the chance to present their projects to the jury in the final round of the competition. The jury finally saw the live presentations and had the opportunity to ask questions of the teams. Based on these presentations, the following projects were selected as the global winners:
Global Winner in the Daylight in Buildings Category: The Light Filter
- Students: Wan Zilin, Poon Gin Yong & Zang Jiayou
- School: Tsinghua University
- Teacher: Li Xiaodong
- Country: China
- Region: Asia & Oceania
‘The Light Filter’ addresses the decline of fireflies due to light pollution and human encroachment on nature. The project creates daylight spaces and viewpoints for humans while using specialized filtered glass to block specific light spectra, thereby creating a darkened environment conducive to firefly survival.
The jury appreciated the project's thoughtful approach, which extends consideration beyond humans to include other living creatures on Earth, offering a perspective that encompasses the experiences of diverse species.
Ewa Kuryłowicz, a jury member, remarked: “The work shows a significant effort to create an environment that is less harmful to nature. The detailing really reminded me of how fireflies are formed, which is a very nice observation. The way the project is communicated is both delicate and culturally insightful.”
Global Winner in the Daylight Investigations Category: Solar Sinter
- Students: Anders Eugen Lund
- School: Royal Danish Academy
- Teacher: Runa Johannesen
- Country: Denmark
- Region: Western Europe
Inspired by Rajasthan's rural population, who live in clay-plastered adobe houses, the project addresses a common problem: monsoon rains washing away the clay walls, necessitating frequent repairs and maintenance. ‘Solar Sinter’ proposes using a Fresnel lens to solar sinter the plaster, transforming the clay into ceramic and making it more resilient. This innovation reduces the inhabitants' workload while preserving traditional vernacular architecture.
The jury was impressed by the global impact of the project, which seeks to address a real-world problem with a practical, CO2-neutral solution. Closely aligning with the theme ‘Light of Tomorrow,’ the project reflects a strong commitment to innovation, embracing the challenges of experimentation and learning from failure.
“Even though it’s not completely ready yet, as no student work can be, there is an energy and thorough, interesting work behind it. The more we got to know about the project, the more it impressed us. Solar Sinter is a multifunctional device that might change the building industry.” – says Jenni Reuter, jury member.
The winners in the categories Daylight in Buildings and Daylight Investigations will receive a prize of €5,000: €4,000 for the student(s) and €1,000 for the teacher(s).
Explore the Global winning projects here.
About the International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture
The International VELUX Award is a competition for students of architecture that runs every second year. Since the launch, it has grown into the largest competition of its kind with students from 800 schools, from 130 countries of all continents, submitting more than 6,000 projects on the award theme “Light of Tomorrow”.
International VELUX Award for students of architecture is organized in close collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and is acknowledged by the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and Architectural Research Centres Consortium (ARCC).
The next competition cycle will take place in 2026, with registrations opening in Autumn 2025.
