Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
Jury report, Copenhagen (16-17 June 2014)
By the submission deadline of 2 May 2014, 802 entries were uploaded to the
International VELUX Award server via personal FTP accounts. Four entries had an
empty folder and one project was uploaded twice. All remaining 797 projects
complied with the mandatory file formats and specifications and were available in
digital format for the jury’s evaluation.
The jury was composed of Craig Dykers (Norway/USA), Róisín Heneghan (Ireland),
Magda Mostafa (Egypt), Catherine Slessor (United Kingdom) and Per Arnold
Andersen from VELUX A/S (Denmark).
The jury met in Copenhagen on 16 and 17 June 2014. Craig Dykers was elected
chairman and presided over the jury’s work. 89 projects were short-listed and
reviewed in the first round; out of which 45 projects were selected for second
review. 24 projects reached the third round – out of which 11 finalists were selected.
Before the final review, all projects were revisited once more and 8 projects were
reintroduced in the concluding discussion that comprised 19 projects in total.
The jury unanimously selected a first prize winner, one second prize winner, one
third prize winner, two special mentions and seven honourable mentions as listed
below:
First prize, 8,000 € for the student(s)/2,000 € for the teacher(s):
Project no. 56, “Light, Revitalization”
Second prize, 4,000 € for the student(s)/1,000 € for the teacher(s):
Project no. 674, “Morning Glory Cloud”
Third prize, 2,600 € for the student(s)/600 € for the teacher(s):
Project no. 65, “Light of Hope”
The following two projects were awarded the jury’s special mention with 1,400 € for
the student(s) and 350€ for the teacher(s):
Project no. 47, “The Dancing of Light”
Project no. 627, “Dyeing the Sunshine”
The following projects were awarded honourable mentions with 1,000 € for the
student(s) and 200 € for the teacher(s):
Project
Project
Project
Project
Project
Project
Project
no.
no.
no.
no.
no.
no.
no.
43, “Light-Memory of the Wounds”
68, “Stretching Sunlight”
115, “Northern Lights”
212, “Socialight”
223, “The Body Architectonic”
556, “Diving Lights”
557, “Sfumato of Light”
The total prize sum was 30,000 €.
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
General remarks
The jury was overwhelmed by the number of entries and impressed by the
fascinating diversity and wide understanding of light across the globe. The quality of
the entries was high and the students did a great job; their projects expressed clear
concepts and ingenuity. The projects explored light with innovative and unique
methods, inspiring new thought and perspectives on the subject.
Although many projects were inspired by previous awards, many projects also
explored new areas and wider contexts by addressing issues of heritage of public
space as well as issues of social and political unrest. They challenged issues of
sustainability, social diversification, political issues, natural disasters and wars that
affect us all, no matter where we live. The jury applauded entries that went beyond
the parameters of design and chose to positively contribute to society.
The variety of topics reflected our widening interest in technological developments,
new materials and solar energy. Several projects looked at the physical properties of
light; particularly going back to the basics of optics and materials – playing with the
redirection of light and view. Others addressed methods to capture, store and
redirect daylight into a building or into urban cityscapes. Some entries considered
the spiritual phenomena of daylight and its effect on state of mind, health and wellbeing. Others again looked at the dynamic and temporal quality of daylight and its
effects on behaviour and spaces over time and seasons. Another remarkable trend in
quite a few projects was the ability of light to mark and trace smog and air pollution.
Many entries used light as a catalyst to revitalise and repurpose abandoned
structures.
The focus on daylight was introduced into the curriculum in several schools and
many projects dealt with similar programmes, themes and locations. It is
encouraging to see the active involvement and interaction of schools and teachers
across continents; there seems to be no boundaries to student projects today.
The jury found a 50/50 split between strong and fully developed ideas and others
that were only partially conceived. This is, however, healthy and natural, since many
students are young, and this might be their first experience of testing, learning and
communicating with a certain allowed naivety and innocence. It takes a lifetime to
understand how light affects us so for these projects, it is more about experimenting
with light. The jury found valuable insight in all of the submissions and looked over
each entry twice. Some projects that were not among the finalists were even
brought back to discuss aspects that were more impressive than the winning entries.
Some projects showed maturity, great sophistication and excellence. They were very
thoughtful and poetic with wonderful presentations. While the imagery and
aesthetics were impressive, the jury would have liked to see the technical aspects
explained more clearly in those submissions that dealt with specific applications; with
more explorations, physical models and more details on how the solutions actually
worked. On the other hand, the jury would have appreciated more aesthetic
considerations in the presentations of those projects elaborating on documented
details, efforts and thinking.
The winning projects stood out and were so complex that the jury had to debate
their relevance and evaluate them several times. They dealt not only with aesthetic
qualities of light – but tied the functionality of light with purposes beyond what light
ordinarily provides in terms of views or comfort. They pooled the political aspects,
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
challenging situations and social discussions into their work with light. The projects
were very well researched, documented and beautifully rendered. Each one of them
had a delicate beauty that was rare and subtle.
First prize, project no. 56, “Light, Revitalisation”
The network of hutongs in Beijing used to stretch into the neighborhoods close to the
Forbidden City. The original neighborhoods are now transforming into more
homogeneous areas and contact to nature is being lost. The project’s idea is to
reconnect to nature and the 24 solar terms that used to be agricultural guidelines in
ancient times when people could define time and season by the position of the sun.
By constructing an overhang with a varied system of grilles, the solar terms will be
introduced again. During the different moments of a day, the slight variations of
position and incident angle of the grilles will create light stripes that will gradually
transform into an oval at midday. The shape of the oval will change with days
passing. As an example, during the “Grain Rain” – the 6th solar term on 19 April,
only at noon – a perfect circle will occur on the wall and will relate a modern
equivalent of a moon gate, connecting light to history. 24 stages in the hutongs are
selected to recall the relationship between light and time, becoming the gathering
point of daily life and light.
The first prize winner did everything the jury was looking for; the graphic
communication was beautiful, the students really understood how light moves
through seasons and times of day, considering how light can be captured and
manipulated and even frozen at certain points and places.
The students used the idea of space, time and light and connected them in a way
that we have forgotten, reconnecting the passage of time and how light can be used
as a cultural signifier – and a cultural hub during the day.
It is a very mature project and the students have managed to create 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 on a city scale, on a social scale and on a cultural scale.
Second prize, project no. 674, “Morning Glory Cloud”
The project reflects on how daylight can contribute to the unification of Korea. The
Korean demilitarized zone is the strip of land running across the peninsula serving as
a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The existing demarcation line with
barbed wire-entanglement is not accessible – so consequently, the borderline is more
a psychological than an actual physical barrier. The design concept of an
architectural borderline is inspired by “the Morning Glory Cloud”, which is a rare
meteorological phenomenon occasionally observed in the morning for a few
moments. When heated by the sun, warm modules of balloons will rise into the sky
and create shadow at sunrise; after sunset, they are brought down and start to
illuminate the surroundings – charged by the sun during the day. Light and shadow
created in the process serve as a new barrier that stimulates us to think about the
meaning of borders and the hope that they will disappear.
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
With this story, the students want to tell us a metaphoric story – a story about
awareness through light, connecting light to air in an ephemeral way as well as how
to tie fantasy with the real world – and it is even told with a bit of humour.
The project is incredibly exemplary and poetic as well, as it is impressively
presented. It is fantastic in the best sense, animating a demilitarised zone as an
artificial cloud. It is an extraordinary knockabout that the jury did not see in other
projects, making us all seriously realise that this is a border in a very contentious
part of the world.
The project articulates the political and physical boundary in a way that is playful,
but also with a serious undercurrent. It uses technology in an interesting way, and
wants to make a wider, political point.
Third prize, project no. 65, “Light of Hope”
At least 35 million people in the world are either temporarily or permanently exiled
from their homes and there are now more refugees or internally displaced people
than at any time since 1994. With the crisis in Syria, there are 600,000 Syrian
refugees in Jordan, and Zaatari is now the second largest refugee camp in the world,
with a population of around 160,000. The camp is overcrowded and poses threats to
health, sanitation, and security of all who live there. Streetlights are usually not one
of the priorities even though lighting could make it safer, particularly for women and
children living in the camp to leave their tents during night. The idea of the project is
to bring safety and beauty into the lives of the unfortunate refugees through the use
of natural light by making spatial lightweight nets treated with photo-luminising
powder charged on sunlight, which allow them to glow during night. During daytime,
the net will provide shelter from the strong sunlight.
The project deals with a serious topic that we should all be concerned with in today’s
world. A practical, rather simple solution can improve the quality of daily life as well
as provide security.
The students have thought of the conditions in refugee camps and how to address
the challenges, which is not a very easy task. They applied a technology that is
plausible even though the jury discussed if it would be considered cheap or without
environmental concerns.
The project is awarded for its strong idea and the extraordinary and poetic
presentation that can only affect us all.
Two projects were identified by the jury for their special qualities:
The jury’s special prize, project no. 47, “The Dancing of Light”
The project works with a meditative space with a spatial ambience created by light
reflected in semi-transparent cocoon-shaped structures. Each cocoon has its own
direction – reflecting the light underneath. Light and shadow changes over time as if
the space is breathing slowly due to the action of light. Traditional Chinese rice paper
is used as the light reflective material in the cocoon-shaped structure. The
characteristic of this paper is its distinctive texture and translucency.
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
The project is very sophisticated in its presentation and the students have worked
successfully with scale models. It is a purely meditative project that works with the
phenomenal experience of light and shadow. The jury could have wished that the
project had shown more engagement in the world but it definitely created a good
and important discussion for the jury.
The jury’s special prize, project no. 627, “Dyeing the Sunshine”
The Fez in Morocco is inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1981 for its
thousand years' of culture and its specific leather industry. The dye factory is not
accessible to the public and the idea of the project is to replace the bottom of each
vat with a transparent surface so that sunshine can penetrate into a new
underground space, where visitors will experience the colourful columns of light. At
night, the lights penetrate the vats from beneath and the leather factory will be
illuminated in all colours.
The project is honoured for its re-use of existing structures as well as for the
conceptual and colourful idea. It is nicely articulated and an unusual example of how
to use well-known historical places and to create new public space in a creative way.
The jury would have appreciated a few more considerations around the actual
making, but as a student project, it has amazing qualities.
Seven projects were identified by the jury as representatives of the wide variation
and series of projects. They are all projects that really did well in the way they
addressed and presented their individual ideas:
Project no. 43, “Light-Memory of the Wounds”
The war in Iraq broke out in 2003, and the people who suffered most from the war
were the citizens of Iraq with no arms at all – people, who once led a peaceful life.
Tens of thousands people lost their lives during the war and thousands of buildings
remain riddled with bullet holes. The idea of the project is to fill these holes with
flowers made of optical fibres that soften and smoothen the light inside.
The project represents a very simple idea and a very strong political statement
against violence and war. The gesture of putting flowers into the wall makes
references to putting flowers on a grave – or to offering flowers to the fighting
soldiers – trying to make the truly awful very beautiful.
Project no. 68, “Stretching Sunlight”
The project works with traditional Chinese paper cut. By cutting, pulling and winding
a piece of paper, it can be transformed into a three-dimensional garland (flower).
The technique is transferred to a large-scale curtain-like experience that enables
people to relate to – and interact with – the openings through a simple fixed spiral
system.
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
It is a wonderful project with a lot of exploration of details and tries to personalise
daylight experiences and preferences. The jury applauds the simple idea and the
sober investigations of the models. In addition, it presents a shading solution with a
random screen that is not based on sophisticated automation and sensors.
Project no. 115, “Northern Lights”
In Northern Ontario, ice fishing is a very popular pass-time where individuals or
groups of people sit out on the lake for hours in an attempt to catch the fish below
several meters of ice. The project is a translucent ice hut that blends into the
landscape during daytime. When inside, you witness the walls being lit by sunlight,
while at night it radiates light to allude to Northern Lights.
The project is in a category of its own. It is recognised for its thorough
considerations and specifically the work in a full-scale model. Some of the details and
solutions can be questioned, when a project is so as concrete as it is; and not all
answers were given – but it is appreciated as a built experiment.
Project no. 212, “Socialight”’
Streets, alleys, squares; every place where we live is unique when it comes to colour
and light. The project suggests a social network, where daylight conditions are
recorded and shared over time using smartphone pictures that are recognised by
time, day, exact position and weather conditions. The social network “socialight” will
describe the detailed colours of cities in all seasons and weather conditions.
The project presents a simple and well-communicated idea that may grow to a wide
interaction and facilitate exciting dialogue between people in the city, putting new
eyes on, discussing and sharing experiences on how daylight conditions change the
appearance of specific buildings and squares over time and season.
Project no. 223, “The Body Architectonic”
The project offers a proposal for a future health cluster in East London where a range
of health professionals, i.e. general practitioners, dieticians, physiotherapists and
social workers, will work together. The project looks at future forms of therapy
environments that are based on a variety of light and water situations that are
favourable when it comes to regaining health.
The project brings back focus on light and water therapy – recognised for centuries –
and in this case re-introduced with luminous squares, hot water passages, daylight
pools and light walls. The project recognises the important aspects of daylight and
health in a very elaborate way with investigations in plans and sections.
Project no. 556, “Diving Lights”
Many historical sites have been abandoned, flooded by water. The project looks at
the opportunity to expose the remains of the ancient Thracian capital Sevtopolis,
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Jury report – commented by the jury – 15 August 2014
which is hidden under the waters of a lake. Hollow cones, like funnels, with sets of
magnifying lenses are submerged into the water and serve as spotlights.
The project presents a wonderful idea. It will not change the world, but it is a
practical and workable solution for illuminating zones under water with natural light
and revealing historical architecture with the sun’s rays. The jury was intrigued by
the idea and by the powerful and very poetic presentation.
Project no. 557, “Sfumato of Light”
"Sfumato" comes from the Italian word "sfumare" and means "to tone down" or "to
evaporate”. The project’s idea is to create "sfumato of light" by using the reflection
and diffusion from salt crystals to create bright spaces. The project resides on the
side of the Lancang River, Tibet, where salt is still produced in the ancient way.
The project investigates how salt brine leaks and grows under wood planks during
production and how the droplets can be reinforced by cotton threads. The curtains
reflect and diffuse light in a beautiful way and bring light into the shed below the salt
production area, using materials and low-tech solutions in a way we never saw
before.
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