The Daylight Award launches daylight conversations and opens for 2024 nominations
Deadline for nominations is 15 September 2023. Send your nomination to: nomination@thedaylightaward.com
Daylight Conversations
The Daylight Award strives to be more than an award. It represents the strong interlink between theory and practice, between researchers, architects, artists, educators, students and daylight enthusiasts all over the world. It wants to recognise professions who are bringing new knowledge, innovation and applications of daylight, leading to an increased benefit and appreciation of its importance for people and the environment.
The Daylight Award welcomes everyone who wants to join the conversations by sharing experiences, best practices, new research findings, inspiration or any other ideas that are exploring the significance of daylight for the life on Earth.
To follow the activities and join the conversations, visit thedaylightaward.com
One name, but two prizes
The Daylight Award honours and supports daylight research and daylight in architecture. It acknowledges and encourages both scientific knowledge and practical application of daylight, which interlink disciplines that are usually addressed in separated, monocultural spheres, professional circles or practices. The Daylight Award strives to raise a holistic understanding of daylight and increase its positive impact on life.
Daylight research
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.
Daylight in architecture
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 award winner in each category is rewarded with a personal prize of €100,000.
The Daylight Award will actively solicit nominations from organisations, architects, researchers and other professionals who have an expertise and interest in the field of daylight research and daylight in architecture. Additionally, the Award accepts individual nominations from professionals.
The Jury will undertake deliberations during the following months, and the 2024 laureates will be announced on 16 May 2024.
We proudly present the 2024 jury
Two new members join the jury for the 2024 Award, representing additional research fields and complementing the jury´s broad experience and knowledge within science and architecture.
Juhani Pallasmaa, Finnish architect, writer, teacher and practicing architect, who has lectured extensively across the world for more than 40 years. During 2009–2014 he served on the jury for the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Dorte Mandrup, founder of Dorte Mandrup A/S, Copenhagen, DK. Chair of the Mies van der Rohe Award 2019, Adjunct Professor at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and holds frequent visiting professorships abroad.
Russell Foster, Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford, UK. In 2020, Russell Foster was awarded with The Daylight Award for his research.
Iwan Baan, Dutch photographer, known internationally for images that narrate the life and interactions that occur within architecture. Winner of the Golden Lion for Best Installation at Venice Architecture Biennale 2012.
Yvonne de Kort, Professor and Chair of Environmental Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology, NL.
Michael J. Balick, Vice President for Botanical Science and Director of the Institute of Economic Botany New York, US. Internationally recognized as a leader in the field of ethnobotany, the study of the relationship between plants, people and culture.
Gerd Folkers, Professor for Pharmaceutical Chemistry since at the ETH Zurich, CH. Previously served at the Swiss National Science Foundation, and has been director of the Collegium Helveticum since 2012. Member of the Swiss Science Council, served as President until 2019.
Previous laureates
The three foundations behind the award have a long history when it comes to awarding best practice within daylight. Since 1980, VILLUM FONDEN, VELUX FONDEN and VELUX STIFTUNG have rewarded the following professionals with daylight awards; Jørn Utzon (DK) (1980), Henning Larsen (DK) (1987), Bob Gysin (CH) (2007), Richard Perez (USA) (2008), Peter Zumthor (CH) (2010), James Carpenter (USA) (2010), Lacaton & Vassal (F) (2011), Gigon & Guyer (CH) (2012) and SANAA (JP) (2014),Steven Holl (USA) (2016), Marilyne Andersen (CH) (2016), Hiroshi Sambuichi (JP) (2018), Greg Ward (USA) (2018), Juha Leiviskä (FI) (2020), Russell Foster (UK) (2020) Henry Plummer (US) (2020), Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell from Grafton Architects (IE) (2022), and Anna Wirz-Justice (CH) (2022).
The Daylight Award was established by the philanthropic foundations VILLUM FONDEN, VELUX FONDEN and VELUX STIFTUNG, and is conferred biennially in two categories: Daylight Research and Daylight in Architecture. The award is given as personal prizes, and each to the sum of €100,000.
For more details, please visit thedaylightaward.com
