A celebration of daylight
03.11.2016
International scientists, architects and business communities attended an award ceremony in Copenhagen to celebrate daylight. A world-famous architect and a researcher in daylight and sustainable construction technologies were honored with The Daylight Award and €100,000 each for their work with daylight.
The ceremony for the international Daylight Award took place on November 2, 2016 in the fairytale settings of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
The international award, The Daylight Award directs focus at the interface between architecture and research – and places great emphasis on the interaction of theory and practice.
The Daylight Award is presented by the non-profit, private charitable foundations, VILLUM FONDEN, VELUX FONDEN and VELUX STIFTUNG, established by Villum Kann Rasmussen.
The Daylight Award is presented again in 2018.
Daylight affects everything
Daylight has great bearing on whether we feel energetic or tired, elated or depressed - it affects our health, learning and well-being.
The awardees
This year the award went to two people who have contributed significantly to 'daylight in architecture' and 'research' in daylight.
One of the awardees is the world-famous architect Steven Holl, principal of Steven Holl Architects, New York City and Beijing.
The relationships between structure, material and light can be experienced throughout Steven Holls work. He is known for his poetic idiom, his exploration of light, his respect for the materials and his ability to adapt buildings to the local context. These were some of the words from the jury to Steven Holl when he received the award.
"When people ask me which material I favour working with, I say light! I have always been fascinated by working with light. Therefore, I am very honoured to be chosen as the recipient of The Daylight Award," says Steven Holl.
The second awardee is Marilyne Andersen from Switzerland. She is professor of Sustainable Construction Technologies and Dean of the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
The choice was - according to the jury - Professor Marilyne Andersen, because she is an outstanding scholar, teacher and an active researcher who has shown great capacity to initiate and direct daylight research that affects the architectural and research communities.
“Daylight plays a fundamental role in our places of living. Recognising the importance of research in this area through The Daylight Award is a very strong sign. Science goes hand in hand with architectural design and enables a foundation where knowledge and creativity are combined for a better understanding, anticipation and application of daylight in architecture and in urban development,” says Marilyne Andersen.
Photos from the ceremony
The Daylight Award for Architecture is awarded to one or more architects or other professionals who have distinguished themselves by realising architecture or creating urban environments that showcase unique use of daylight. Special emphasis will be put on architecture that considers the overall quality of life, its impact on human health, well-being and performance, and its value to society.
The Daylight Award for Research is awarded to individuals or smaller groups of scientists who have distinguished themselves as outstanding contributors to internationally recognised daylight research. It acknowledges highly original and influential advances in the areas of natural science, human science or social science, with special emphasis on the effects of daylight on human health, well-being and performance.
More information about The Daylight Award