First a regional victory (Eastern Europe and the Middle East), and now a global one! The project "TIP - Time Indicate Protection" by Aleksandra Pytka and Zuzanna Sazonow, students of the Faculty of Architecture at Poznan University of Technology, has been awarded the Grand Prix of the International VELUX Award 2022 in the category "Natural Light in Buildings." The award-winning concept of a modular shading system that can be used on residential buildings was made under the direction of Patrycja Kaminska. This is the second Grand Prix in the history of the competition to be awarded to a project from Poland!
TheInternational VELUX Award is a biennial international competition for architecture students, which aims to encourage special attention to the role of natural light in architecture as an important source of lighting, energy, well-being and comfort.Since the first edition in 2004, students from 800 universities in 130 countries have participated in the competition, submitting more than 6,000 projects. The International VELUX Award 2022 competition was organized in close cooperation with the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the World Architecture Festival (WAF), and was recognized by the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE).
The project "TIP - Time Indicate Protection" received the Grand Prix!
© Aleksandra Pytka, Zuzanna Sazonow
first a regional success and now a worldwide one
The tenth anniversary edition received 507 projects submitted from 211 architectural universities from around the world.Projects were submitted in two categories:"Natural Light in Buildings" and "Natural Light Research." The entries were judged by an international jury consisting of:
- Anupama Kundoo - Anupama Kundoo architects (India),
- John Ronan - John Ronan Architects (USA),
- Rainer Hofmann - Bogevischs Buero (Germany),
- Fuensanta Nieto - Nieto Sobejano Arquitos (Spain).
- Lotte Kragelund - VELUX A/S (Denmark).
In the first regional stage, the results of which were announced in July 2022, the judges selected, ten winning projects. Among them in the Eastern Europe and Middle East region was the Polish project "TIP - Time Indicate Protection" by Aleksandra Pytka and Zuzanna Sazanow from the Faculty of Architecture at Poznan University of Technology, made under the direction of Patrycja Kaminska. The project was created on the subject Innovatics within the framework of the ongoing scientific research "Modular elements in urban space, in modern architecture and design", under the direction of Dr. Hanna Michalak. Statements of the authors and the supervisor on the idea of the project and the competition itself can be read here.
From left: supervisor Patrycja Kaminska and students Zuzanna Sazonow, Aleksandra Pytka
© VELUX
Now it was time for the grand finale! On December 2, global winners were announced at the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon. In the "Natural Light Research" category, the winner was the Flight project by a team consisting of: Sajjad Navidi, Mahya Mousavi Sadr, Elham Bahadori from the University of the Arts of Iran, representing the Eastern Europe and Middle East region. In the "Natural Light in Buildings" category, the "TIP - Time Indicate Protection" project was again the winner , receiving the Grand Prix!
"TIP - Time Indicate Protection" is a modular shading system
© Aleksandra Pytka, Zuzanna Sazonow
A fan that helps during hot weather
The winning project created by Aleksandra Pytka and Zuzanna Sazonow is a modular shading system that can be adapted in multi-family residential buildings. It allows reducing the negative effects of climate change and was developed based on the observation of the problem of a housing estate in Poznan.
The main impetus for our project was noticing both positive and negative effects of solar radiation on residential conditions. We wanted to eliminate its undesirable effects while preserving the positive ones. We were inspired primarily by observation of everyday life and analysis of the conditions in which a sizable portion of Poles currently live. Many of our relatives, living in multi-family buildings, face the problem of overheated housing during the summer [...]. Observing this problem and the need to confront it were the main drivers for us," say the authors.
"TIP - Time Indicate Protection," design.
© Aleksandra Pytka, Zuzanna Sazonow
The system works on the principle of a fan that opens with the help of an actuator in times of high sunlight in the building. The students designed the system's structure in such a way that it protects the interior from overheating while allowing natural daylight to enter. The sun's rays are reflected off a material made of fiberglass. The aperture is lightweight and transparent, so it does not obscure the interior and provides an opportunity for contact with the environment, in addition, the structure adds lightness and order to the facade of the block. Importantly, the system can be customized for different sites around the world, taking into account the phases of the fan's opening to sunlight in a specific location.
Congratulations and we look forward to the next, already the 11th edition of the International VELUXcompetition. Stay tuned!
