We know that the way we build today has an enormous impact on our planet, affecting humanity and the delicate ecosystems that sustain all life on Earth. And, because we are spending 90% of our time indoors, today, buildings impact also our physical and mental health more than ever before.

At VELUX, we believe that we must actively address the climate and health related challenges of the 21st century and work together with the building industry to help reconnect people and planet through healthier, more sustainable buildings.

One way we are doing this is through Build for Life, a pioneering, multi-disciplinary initiative launched in 2021 and created to help connect people and planet through better building design.

To accelerate the development of better building strategies, last November, VELUX hosted the inaugural Build for Life Conference, a global event that brought together architects, builders, engineers, designers, planners, and other industry professionals.

The Build for Life Conference 2021 featured a series of keynote presentations by thought leaders, as well as panel discussions focused on relevant innovations in building design, technology, sustainability, and health on two stages:

Compass Stage Highlights

At the Compass Stage we asked key questions that are facing the building industry: Are our buildings flexible enough to adapt to change? Does quality of design matter? Can buildings help to regenerate the environment? Can buildings support our personal health and wellbeing? Can buildings help to strengthen communities? How does contemporary building design support local, cultural contexts? Do our buildings help to make everyday life affordable for the people?

Compass Stage keynote speakers addressed these seven important questions in a variety of ways, while also offering their insights and ideas for possible solutions on how we can work together to ensure a better, more sustainable future.

The goal for the Compass Stage was to encourage a positive dialogue, and a forward-thinking discussion about how buildings can help to connect people and the planet.

Daylight Symposium Stage Highlights

Since 2005, the Daylight Symposium has been dedicated to exploring the importance of daylight in creating healthy, resilient buildings. From this stage, more than 40 recognized and emerging voices in the fields of daylight research, education, and practice shared new knowledge and innovative applications related to the use of daylight in building design, particularly focusing on the health benefits for individuals and the environment.

The main theme of this Daylight Symposium was `Bridging Research and Practice.’

Speakers on this stage addressed the following topics: new applications of daylight with a focus on benefits for people and the environment, best practices for architectural daylighting, tools, metrics, legislation and systems for evaluating the daylight quality and performance, the role of daylight during pandemics and beyond, and the future of daylight education.

As in the past, the goal of this year’s Daylight Symposium was to encourage the sharing of scientific knowledge and practical applications by interlinking disciplines that are usually addressed in separated spheres and professional circles.