The "Sun the Quilt" project, developed by students from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, has been recognized with the prestigious 2026 VELUX Light of Tomorrow Global Award. This innovative design reimagines a common domestic task—sun-drying household items—into a dynamic and responsive architectural facade. The project exemplifies how integrating traditional practices with modern design principles can address contemporary challenges related to daylight, climate control, and user well-being.Innovative Facade: Where Tradition Meets Modernity in Daylight Architecture
Revolutionizing Daily Routines with Architectural Innovation
How can building design proactively address global issues? This fundamental question underpins the VELUX Light of Tomorrow competition, a worldwide student challenge encouraging architects-in-training to investigate the future possibilities of natural light in structures. In its twelfth iteration, the competition garnered numerous submissions from across the globe, culminating in eight finalists who presented their concepts to an international panel at the UIA World Congress of Architects in Barcelona. The 2026 global victor, "Sun the Quilt," conceived by students from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology in China, was lauded for its compelling vision, thoughtful design approach, and imaginative application of daylight. The project ingeniously translates an ordinary domestic practice into an adaptable facade system influenced by solar exposure, environmental conditions, and the concept of mindful living.
An Adaptive Facade for Dynamic Living
In alignment with the competition's core theme, "Light of Tomorrow," the project ingeniously reinterprets the customary act of airing out quilts, fabrics, food, and other household objects under the sun. This innovative proposal integrates a fully operable window, a functional ledge, and a series of nested, extendable, and rotating frames. These components collectively create a versatile architectural system capable of facilitating drying, providing shade, enhancing ventilation, and regulating the ingress of natural light.
Harmonizing Interior Comfort with Exterior Dynamics
The outcome is a highly adaptable exterior that enables residents to move quilts and various household items outdoors for sun exposure while remaining comfortably within their homes. Through meticulous analysis of seasonal and daily solar trajectories, the team engineered a responsive mechanism that adjusts throughout the year. When deployed, a quilt transforms into an external shading element; when retracted, natural light once again floods the interior spaces, ensuring optimal illumination.
From Commonplace Observation to Architectural Insight
The genesis of this project stemmed from a keen personal observation. For countless individuals residing in densely populated urban areas, access to natural sunlight is often managed through a variety of impromptu daily routines. Quilts are carried across courtyards, laundry adorns balconies, and household goods are positioned wherever light and airflow are available. What might initially appear as visual disarray served as the initial catalyst for this profound architectural exploration.
Bridging Traditional Needs and Modern Design
Extensive investigations conducted throughout the Yangtze River Delta region documented the diverse array of poles, frameworks, balconies, and window-mounted apparatuses utilized for drying quilts and garments. Rather than dismissing these informal solutions, the design team recognized them as tangible evidence of an unaddressed architectural necessity. This realization prompted a broader inquiry: how can architectural design more effectively support rituals connected to sunlight, hygiene, comfort, personal space, and security within the built environment?
The Power of Purposeful Simplicity in Design
A significant strength of the proposal lies in its capacity to elevate a simple, everyday action into a comprehensive architectural concept without resorting to unnecessary complexity. Reflecting on the design journey, team leader XU Qicheng emphasized, "For every element, we posed the same fundamental question: Does it enhance the safety and ease of this daily ritual, or does it improve the interplay between daylight, the interior space, and the human body? This focused approach was instrumental in keeping our final design highly concentrated." The students meticulously examined aspects of flexibility, structural integrity, user safety, and overall user experience, ultimately developing a sophisticated system of tracks, pivots, clamps, and guided movements. This system supports routine use while simultaneously enriching the relationship between natural light, occupants, and their surroundings.
Universal Principles from Local Insights
The jury commended the project for its poetic simplicity and profound connection to daily human experience. They particularly highlighted how the facade system facilitates varied modulation of light across different seasons, while also accommodating textiles, food, and other domestic items. Jury member Níall McLaughlin (IE) remarked, "The architects delved into a problem, thoroughly understood its complexities, developed a solution, and then transformed it into something that can genuinely thrive and contribute to the world."
Illuminating Future Architectural Possibilities
While deeply rooted in the specific context of the Yangtze River Delta, the project offers valuable lessons that extend far beyond China's borders. People globally navigate access to sunlight, ventilation, and privacy in diverse ways. Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all solution, "Sun the Quilt" articulates a compelling principle: the facade can evolve into a responsive, habitable interface between the internal and external environments.
Making a Meaningful Impact Through Thoughtful Design
As Tina Christensen, Director of Light of Tomorrow by VELUX at the VELUX Group, observed, the award-winning project powerfully illustrates "how daylight can be employed with clarity and intention to address real-world concerns, achieving significant impact through modest interventions." Further insights into this year's proposals and the jury's recognized ideas can be found in the comprehensive list of winning projects, jury selections, and competition materials from Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026. Highlights from the awards ceremony also provide a detailed account of the finalists and the presentation of the global awards.
