“Light. Space. Human” - this triad has defined the VELUX Architecture Competition for many years. The motto highlights what should be common knowledge amongst architects and interior designers: daylight is crucial to the atmosphere of spaces and the well-being of people. In the coming months, the competition will be relaunched - for the first time across four countries. All new builds, extensions and refurbishments completed since 2023 in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the UK are eligible to enter. The sole criterion is that the daylight concept must have been implemented using, amongst other things, VELUX lighting solutions. However, what matters is not the number of products installed, but the interplay of light, materials and surfaces within the space. This quality is evident in the winning projects from the last two architecture competitions: the museum in Bezau by Innauer Matt Architects and Francisco Pierazzi's Casa Bassa in Guildford.

Entries for the VELUX Architecture Competition can still be submitted until the end of February 2027. After that, two international juries will select the winning projects for the German-speaking region and for the UK. The juries will include the winners of the last competition, architects from the participating countries, and editors from the British RIBA Journal and Detail. The prize money amounts to 12 000 euros for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and 10 000 British pounds for the UK. Velux and Detail look forward to seeing your daylight concepts!

Daylight shapes spaces far beyond their mere function. The assessment considers four key aspects that shed light on the impact, quality and adaptability of light in interaction with architecture and its use.