The Daylight and Building Component Award


The Daylight and Building Component Award is presented annually to an individual, or group of individuals, who have contributed significantly to the technical, social, artistic or design-related understanding of daylight. Previous awardees include architects, scientists, artists and building professionals, and the award carries with it a prize of 100,000 Euro. The award was established in 1980 and is given by the VELUX Foundation.

History

Upon its establishment in 1980, the Daylight and Building Component Award was given to Danish citizens who had made a significant contribution to the understanding and practical use of daylight. In the early years, this meant that many of the recipients were architects or artists, many of whom had worked with daylight in an architectural or design context. Jørn Utzon, one of the most famous Danish Architects of the 20th century, was among the group awarded the first year.
Through the next twenty-five years, the award was given intermittently, often to larger groups of individuals. In 2006, the award was given to the father-son team of architects Povl Wilhelm Wohlert and Claus Ditlev Wohlert.
In 2008, was converted to an annual award with four categories:
  1. Daylighting design
  2. Contribution to the science of daylighting
  3. Contribution to awareness or interest about daylighting.
  4. Contribution to the awareness of the industrial building component's importance, value and practical use in the everyday life
The monetary prize was also doubled in 2008 to 100,000 Euro, making it one of the largest of its kind within the architecture and building communities worldwide.
In 2010, the award was given to American architect James Carpenter, whose recent projects include the design of , the first building to be reconstructed at the site since Sept. 11, 2001.
The award is given around the first of March each year at a ceremony in Hørsholm, Denmark.

List of Recipients

YearNameCountryComments
1980Jørn UtzonDenmarkArchitect.
1980Jens Urup JensenDenmarkPainter
1980Knud ThomsenDenmarkArchitect
1980Erik Flagsted RasmussenDenmarkArchitect
1987Holger JensenDenmark
1987Henning LarsenDenmarkArchitect
1988Per Sten HebsgaardDenmarkGlass Artist
1988Torben HjortDenmarkArchitect
1988Sven Åge LarsenDenmarkCeramic Artist
1988Niels Frithiof TruelsenDenmarkArchitect
2000H.N.BrandtEnglandManager
2005Jørgen TroelsenDenmarkEngineer
2005Michel LangrandFranceManager
2005István KónyaHungaryManager
2006Povl Wilhelm WohlertDenmarkArchitect
2006Claus Ditlev WohlertDenmarkArchitect
2008Richard PerezUSA/FranceScientist
2009Karl LenhardtGermanyInventor
2010USAArchitect