Discover the winning student projects of Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026
The Light of Tomorrow by VELUX jury selected eight regional winners from the 539 submitted projects, from 345 schools of architecture around the world.
The renowned jury comprised of James Carpetner (US), Liene Jākobsone (LV), Níall McLaughlin (IE), Oya Atalay Franck (CH) and Elena Arregui Jaeger from VELUX (ES) who met for the jury meeting in Copenhagen.
“Light of Tomorrow by VELUX is exciting because it gives us a glimpse into the future of architecture. The competition challenges students to rethink how daylight can respond to global challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and human wellbeing. For VELUX, it is a vital way of staying connected to new ideas and ensuring that daylight continues to play a central role in how we design better, more sustainable buildings.” – stated Tina Christensen, the director of the Light of Tomorrow by VELUX.
The jury noted a wide range of approaches in this year’s submissions, both in how students worked with daylight and in how they connected it to everyday life, climate, materials, and local conditions. Many projects used simple means to achieve clear and thoughtful results, and the jury appreciated how daylight was treated as both a practical tool and a way to shape atmosphere and experience.
Across regions, it was evident that students are attentive to the environmental, social, and cultural issues that influence architecture today. The projects addressed everything from global climate challenges to very specific local situations — such as winter darkness in the Nordic countries, the need for shade in tropical climates, or the lack of healthy indoor light in dense informal settlements. This diversity made the evaluation demanding, but it also showed the breadth of concerns that students consider relevant for their future practice.
The jury made their final evaluation of the projects in accordance with the following criteria from the award brief: 1) the work with daylight as a premise for architecture, 2) how the project is researched and documented, 3) how the project addresses contemporary and future challenges, 4) the level of experimentation and innovation, as well as the overall graphic presentation of the project or how the project presents itself.
Listen to the jury’s reasoning in the announcement video:
The following regional winning projects in were awarded with € 3.000 € for the student(s) and 500 € for the teacher(s):
Region Western Europe, Project: Woven Light
Students: Simon Mlcek, Thomas Jr Chudoba & Vlad Badhu
School: Lund University
Teacher: Erik Tonning Jensen
Country: Sweden
Region Eastern Europe & the Middle East, Project: Filtered Light
Student: Polina Riabtseva
School: National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture
Teachers: Orest Hirnyi
Country: Ukraine
Region The Americas, Project: The Light as Memory
Student: Carlota López & Paula Verdoy
School: Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Teacher: Javier Del Rio Ojeda
Country: Chile
Region Asia & Oceania, Project: Sun the Quilt
Students: XU Qicheng, LUO Jun, GAO Rui, RUAN Guoqiang, ZHANG Xuanyi, CAI Kunhong
School: Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology
Teacher: HAN Qingsong
Country: China
Region Africa, Project: Woven Time
Student: Wambugu Maranga & Henry Ronoh
School: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Teacher: Jerusha Ngungui
Country: Kenya
The following projects were selected as Special Prizes and awarded with 3,000 € for the student(s) and 500 € for the teacher(s):
Daylight in New Buildings, Project: Reclaiming the Tropical Plaza
Student: Papinyapon Apisaksirikul
School: Chulalongkorn University
Teacher: Apiparn Borisuit
Country: Thailand
Daylight in Building Transformations, Project: Folding Light
Student: ZHU Jianwei, LIN Zihao, JI Tianyu, YU Zhenzhen
School: Tsinghua University
Teacher: SONG Yehao
Country: China
Daylight Investigations, Project: Evaporative Cooling Celosia
Student: Sophia Carmody
School: Royal Danish Academy
Teacher Line Frederiksen
Country: Denmark
