VELUX Skylight System by VELUX: Smart Light Design
Developed by VELUX, a global leader in daylight and ventilation solutions, the VELUX Skylight System reflects a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and user-centered design. Recognized in the Windows, Doors & Hardware category at the Architecture MasterPrize (AMP) and awarded a Best of Best distinction, the product reimagines the role of skylights by integrating smart controls, energy efficiency, and everyday convenience into one seamless system. We spoke with Lead Designer, Ross Vandermark about the thinking behind the VELUX Skylight System, its development process, and how it responds to the evolving needs of contemporary homes.
What do you consider the most distinctive or innovative aspect of the VELUX Skylight System?
Ross Vandermark: Adding a shade to a skylight is often overlooked before installation and adding it later can be difficult. Still, this feature is one of the most common feedback points we used to get from homeowners: they wish they had added a shade. The VELUX Skylight System doubles or even triples a skylight’s value by adding this functionality at a marginal price increase. By integrating a solar-powered, room-darkening shade from the start, we’ve created a smarter skylight that delivers immediate benefits: better comfort, better control, and significantly improved energy efficiency. It creates the ultimate skylight experience and answers this previously unmet consumer demand.
Which outcomes of the award-winning VELUX Skylight System are you most proud of, and why?
Ross Vandermark: The first-of-its-kind VELUX Fresh Air Skylight System blends wellness and sustainability with convenient solar-powered, remote- control operation. Homeowners get passive ventilation, improved air quality, and a connected experience, all without complicating installation for builders. It’s meaningful innovation solving real-world problems.For example, the Skylight System’s pre-installed, room-darkening shade gives homeowners full control over the light entering their space. When closed, the double-pleated shade provides up to 46% improvement in thermal values and up to 43% improvement in solar heat gain, contributing to greater energy efficiency and year-round comfort. Coordinating shade use during periods of extreme heat or cold further optimizes energy consumption throughout the home.
What does receiving the Architecture MasterPrize for the VELUX Skylight System mean to you, and how do you see it influencing your future work or practice?
Ross Vandermark: Winning the Best of the Best designation from the Architecture MasterPrize is a meaningful validation of the innovation that defines the VELUX Skylight System. It reflects the incredible work of our entire team in listening closely to our customers and responding to their needs, creating a product that meets the highest expectations of today’s architects and homeowners and blends convenience, energy efficiency and architectural elegance in one integrated system.
We thank Ross Vandermark and the VELUX team for sharing the story behind the VELUX Skylight System, a forward-looking product where innovation, sustainability, and user-focused design come together to redefine the experience of natural light in the home. A video of the project is also available to learn more.