Image Courtesy of Velux. Photography by Adam Mork.
When I told friends I was going to Copenhagen to visit Velux’s Living Places exhibit, their response, to my surprise, was “What’s Velux?” It was a household name for me. I remember childhood conversations with my father, a builder turned sheep farmer, about the aesthetic and function-derived qualities of Velux windows, making it exciting to hear and see how Velux has been making an impact.
Living Places is a temporary landmark situated in Copenhagen, built by the Velux Group in partnership with EFFEKT Architects, Artelia Engineers and Enaemærke & Peterson contractors for the UIA 2023 World Congress of Architects. The experimental building project consists of seven full-scale prototypes; five of which are open pavilions designed for workshops and exhibitions on sustainable architecture and two are complete, furnished single-family houses. All are made from timber, insulated with cellulose, painted with Linseed oil paints, powered by solar energy – and have a construction carbon footprint threefold lower than Denmark’s average building.
Image Courtesy of Velux. Photography by Adam Mork.
The building industry accounts for a whopping great third of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Moving forward, scalable alternatives with lower carbon footprints are imperative. But, you know, us humans – we’re pretty set in our ways.
Perhaps we can liken corporate landscapes to natural ones, and businesses to a flock of sheep. Commercial sheep that need a shepherd. A shepherd who will set the standard for better practice. The rest will follow through with herd mentality. If they don’t, let natural selection run its course.
That’s what the Living Places project is about. Change. And, the Velux Group is the acting shepherd, introducing new possibilities and new norms – resetting the bar.
By using existing technologies and materials to create affordable and scalable residential buildings with an ultra-low carbon footprint and a first-class healthy indoor climate, Living Places demonstrates that sustainable architecture and construction is not something of the future but right now, today.
Image Courtesy of Velux. Photography by Adam Mork.
Living Places was fathomed in 2021 as part of Velux’s Build For Life Campaign that strives to pioneer a multidisciplinary initiative reconnecting people and the planet through healthier, more sustainable buildings, designed with resource conserving architecture. The project highlights Velux’s commitments to sustainable strategy and efforts to accelerate the green transition of the building industry and exploration into new solutions for the future of construction.
Using what the brand calls a ‘Compass Model’, the construction and development process is divided into three phases: strategy, design and specific measures. Each phase considers guidelines centered around health, community, local sourcing, affordability, flexibility, quality and the environment. All of which are inline with Velux’s five building principles: health for people and the planet; sharing to promote happier living in smaller spaces with shared resources, outdoor areas and amenities (smaller spaces will not only reduce building costs but allow more space for nature); simplicity for easy upgrades, dis- and re-assembly to increase the lifespan of a building and allow for recycling and circularity; adaptability for different ways of living; and scalability, rethinking design plans and financing of social housing.
Image Courtesy of Velux. Photography by Adam Mork.
The result of this thorough investigation and brand introspection was Living Places, an indescribably astonishing, peaceful and beautiful architectural space. For lack of better wording – it was breathtaking. And, aside from its aesthetic splendor, each property emits threefold less CO2 than the average Danish single family house at 3.8 kilograms of CO2 per meter squared compared to 11.1 kilograms for the average new build, as verified by AUU Build. Easy on the eyes and on our exponentially decaying resources.
Velux used a Life Cycle Assessment calculator to determine the long term environmental impact of the design process and material selection. Calculations reveal that the benchmark house emits approximately 102 tonnes of CO2 over 50 years. Comparatively, Living Places properties are estimated to emit just 28 over that same period.
Pretty f*cking cool, huh? Working collaboratively with other experts; putting people and the planet at a prospect’s core; proving that this is totally feasible with current technologies pervading scapegoating through the promise of a better future. Let Velux be the shepherd for more sustainable construction. Can’t wait to tell my dad.
Image Courtesy of Velux. Photography by Adam Mork.