The Healthy Homes Barometer is an annual research-based report that takes the pulse of Europe's building stock. Since 2015, the reports have highlighted the importance of improving buildings to address health and climate concerns across populations.

Individuals, societies and the planet can all benefit from better buildings. UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 focuses on Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the Healthy Homes Barometers demonstrate how such buildings can help in achieving this goal.

The majority of the world’s population lives in buildings in cities and their suburbs, and Europe is no exception. Europe’s buildings are, on average, old, inefficient, and not particularly healthy. The Healthy Homes Barometers examine different types of buildings and their deficiencies in a range of settings to establish how to best target renovation efforts and improve building legislation.

The ultimate goal is to boost the renovation rate and reap the rewards of a healthy, efficient building stock. The payoff is better indoor climates that safeguard the health of individuals exposed to them, plus improved energy efficiency and thereby a minimal impact on the climate.

Recognising the profound influence of construction on people and ecosystems, BUILD FOR LIFE is a pioneering, multidisciplinary initiative that leverages our 80-year legacy and expert partnerships to champion healthier, sustainable living environments. It stands as a collection of VELUX projects and insights, driving the integration of daylight and fresh air into building design to foster well-being.

This initiative is more than an ambition; it's an actionable path forward, where each design choice is an opportunity for positive environmental and personal impact. VELUX is championing a future where architecture consciously supports a healthier planet while rebuilding peoples’ connection to nature and each other.

Through this initiative, we have hosted projects like the Build for Life Hackathon—a weekend-long event that brought together bright young minds from the industry. We discussed experiences, tackled current challenges and developed solutions in close collaboration. In addition to this, we host a biennial conference, Daylight Symposium, where architects, researchers and other building professionals come together to accelerate and promote the exchange of knowledge on daylight for creating healthy and resilient buildings.

It is time to reconsider our mindset towards building sustainably.

The arrival of future technology should not be the determining factor of when we start to build sustainably. We have the knowledge and technology needed to create responsible and regenerative solutions today.

We have done just that alongside our partners at EFFEKT and Artelia. Through our full-scale building experiment, Living Places Copenhagen, we aim to make an impact in the building industry by showcasing a new way of thinking.

By recentring our approach around building a better environment that benefits both people and the planet, we have built seven prototypes consisting of five open pavilions and two full-scale single-family homes. Living Places concept holds the lowest CO2 emissions in Denmark. The carbon footprint is three times lower than the average single-family home in Denmark with a three times better indoor climate.

We seek to simultaneously inspire and prove that change can be reached now by considering materials, design, and building techniques that reduce environmental impact and improve human health.

With Living Places, we have developed five key principles that can be applied to any development that also ensures it is scalable, affordable and commercially viable.

The first example of Living Places was completed in 2023 to be exhibited at the World Capital of Architecture in the heart of Copenhagen. The exhibition is open to the public 24/7 with bookable private or public tours.

VELUX "Lunch and Learn" initiative is crafted to intersect with the daily rhythm of professional life, meeting you right where you are: at your desk, amidst plans and projects. As you take a pause to refuel, we bring a spread of knowledge to your table—no extra scheduling required.

Savour a lunch provided by us while we shed light on pivotal topics: the essence of daylight in architectural design, the adaptability of VELUX lighting solutions for every type of roof, and hands-on daylight simulation for your specific project needs. This program is our way of connecting with you in your space, turning your lunch hour into an opportunity for growth and networking.

Explore the innovative possibilities of daylight with VELUX global Daylight and Architecture initiative. It was created to inspire innovation and collaboration, as we delve into the boundless possibilities natural light has to offer. We share knowledge through a series of free online lectures in partnership with leading architectural schools worldwide, aiming to challenge and inspire architects to reimagine the role of daylight.

Light of Tomorrow is a competition that is a part of the Daylight and Architecture initiative. It has run since 2004 with the aim to engage and challenge architecture students to think innovatively about how we use daylight as a main source of energy to promote and ensure healthy buildings and the well-being of the people who use them. Daylight and Architecture share the spirit of everything we do; to encourage dialogue and collaboration, and to explore the endless opportunities of daylight.

To further share knowledge and inspire students, teachers, and architects we have relaunched our award-winning printed magazine as ‘Daylight Matters’. It now also encompasses the International VELUX Award, Daylight Talks, and a news section.

To achieve healthy and sustainable indoor environments and buildings should be convenient. Our team of industry experts, including architects, engineers and product specialists, are here to help with daylight, indoor climate optimisation, stakeholder communication and regulation.

These services include our free indoor climate software, quality BIM objects and dynamic CAD blocks, as well as 3D visualisations with industry leading daylight rendering and much more. Always aiming to bring design to the next level.

We know daylight plays an essential role in creating great living spaces, which is why we have developed Designing with Daylight – a digital tool that provides insights and inspiration to support professionals in optimising daylighting solutions within architectural projects. With our methodology we cover the design process through learning, planning, designing, evaluating and validating.

On the platform you will find articles such as Setting a Daylighting Goal, Engaging Clients in Daylighting Design and Understanding Visual Needs.

Explore the variety of our product range. These product solutions make it easy to find the perfect fit for any project while creating spaces that speak to the beauty of daylight in architecture. We understand daylight as a key driver in the design process, no matter the building form or typology.

Daylight and indoor climate become seamless considerations in architectural design through our tailored range of solutions— Whether you’re looking to penetrate bring light deep into your plan through a sloped roof window, increase space and flexibility with a roof balcony, or bring daylight to the centre using sun tunnels, our product solutions are here to match your unique project requirements.

Our line-up extends to modular skylight systems optimised for commercial typologies right through to flat roof glass to edge technology, solar protection, accessories and automation. Providing diverse options for bringing even more daylight and fresh air through the roof. With a solution for every project and roof type, our products are crafted to elevate any design vision.

Although the sun’s movement is consistent, daylight is a dynamic and complex element in the design process. It can therefore be difficult to master the knowledge of how daylight interacts with any given environment. To simplify this process, we have created VELUX Daylight Visualizer, a free software which calculates the precise daylight levels to make complex analyses available from the beginning of any building project.

Our advanced 3D simulation tool can digitally realise design concepts for any type of building and allows you to check compliance with the European Standard for daylighting in buildings - EN 17037. It smoothly incorporates design choices into every building project while minimising planning errors.

Unlock the potential of our Daylight Design Centre — a specialised team comprising of graphic designers, architects, and motion designers. Whether you're engaging project stakeholders, safeguarding daylight design features from cost-cutting measures, securing planning permissions, or marketing pre-built projects, our daylight analysis and captivating architectural visualizations support you in effectively conveying your design intent.

The services are here to assist your design communication with a tangible, measurable, and visually appealing dimension, instilling confidence in project stakeholders by communicating that the strategic daylight optimization of your designs ensures their future building not only meets the European Standard for daylighting but provides spaces that are healthy, attractive, desirable, and uniquely characterised by daylight.

VELUX CAD plugin for Autodesk provides a seamless integration method, allowing the incorporation of VELUX roof windows directly into architectural drawings. Users can access a wide range of VELUX products tailored to diverse design scenarios using this tool. Additionally, all drawings detailing these solutions, are available for download in PDF, DWG, or DXF formats.

VELUX CAD efficiently helps detailing and specifying your chosen daylighting solutions.

Embark on a journey of design innovation with our BIM/CAD objects. Our solution supports most used platforms Revit, ArchiCAD, SketchUp and AutoCAD.

VELUX BIM objects are covering 95% of our windows, ensuring automatic updates, saving users’ time and making sure the latest product information is available.

Explore VELUX BIM objects on www.bimobject.com, enriched with IFC-compatible properties and accessible Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Experience the flexibility of parametric design as the objects are natively created in each software.

In collaboration with 3D-Byggeri Danmark we are offering a cloud-based solution portfolio of VELUX installation detail drawings. The tool includes solutions for a variety of the most common roof materials and a range of windows and combinations that VELUX offers.

When selecting windows and roof materials for a specific project, it’s easy to have a unique installation drawing available right away. The installation drawing material can be previewed in the visual viewer before downloaded in one of three formats (pdf. rvt. dwg.).

An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a document that summarises information about the life-cycle impact of products based on three basic categories: environmental impact, resource and energy use, and waste. The declarations all use a common format, are third-party verified and follow international standards.

The number of national regulations and voluntary certification schemes incorporating whole-life carbon has been growing rapidly across Europe in the past years. VELUX is committed to supporting our clients in this challenge by providing independently verified impact data via an EPD.

We offer a wide range of EPDs for our products, that will soon cover more than 90% of VELUX residential product portfolio. Currently, we offer 31 EPDs that can be found on EcoPlatform, the IBU database, or on the VELUX website.