VELUX
On 1 April 1941, Danish civil engineer, entrepreneur and inventor Villum Kann Rasmussen (1909–1993) established V. Kann Rasmussen & Co in Copenhagen, a company specialising in glass roofs.
One of his first commissions was for the supply of roof windows for schools to convert loft spaces into classrooms. His concept was to “...make a skylight - a roof window - that is just as good as the best vertical window”. His first roof window was patented in 1942.
In 1952 Rasmussen formed a partnership with Ernst Günter Albers, owner of joinery company E. Albers & v. Drathen (ALDRA) in Meldorf, West Germany. They established VELUX GmbH Bauzubehör, with the word 'VELUX' being a combination of ‘VE’, short for ventilation and ‘LUX’, latin for light.
By the early 1970's, VELUX had grown to more than a thousand employees. It has since become a household name around the world, and the word ‘velux’ has become synonymous with a particular style of rooflight, in the same way that the brand name ‘Hoover’ is synonymous with the vacuum cleaner.
In 1992 Rasmussen’s eldest son, Lars Kann-Rasmussen, became Chairman of V. Kann Rasmussen Industri - the parent company of the VELUX Group. Villum Kann Rasmussen died in 1993 at the age of 84.
In 2016, the VELUX Group celebrated its 75th anniversary. Today, it has manufacturing and sales operations in more than 40 countries, and its products include roof windows, modular skylights, blinds, roller shutters, sun tunnels and remote controls.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Active House.
- Aktivplus.
- Aspects of daylighting design covered by EN 17037.
- BRE Expert Collection 6 Daylight and shading.
- BREEAM Visual comfort Daylighting.
- BREEAM Visual comfort View out.
- Daylight lighting systems.
- Daylit space.
- Dormer window.
- EN 17037 Daylight in buildings.
- Light shelf.
- Light well.
- Lighting.
- Loft conversion.
- Rooflight.
- Types of building EN 17037 applies to.
- Window.
[edit] External references
Featured articles and news
From the UKs largest manufacturer and supplier of lime.
From mud bricks to smart concrete
A brief history from 7000BC to a future on the moon.
Regulator of Social Housing publishes latest fire safety report
Covering remediation of 11 metre plus social housing sector buildings.
Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024
Approved for priority drafting by Government of Ireland.
The long list with in the frame of key historical events.
Competence frameworks for sustainability in the built environment
Code of practice, core criteria consultation draft for comment.
UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Sept update
Pilot version for testing and feedback on its adoption due.
New Floods Resilience Taskforce
With a wet met office autumn prediction.
National Retrofit Hub takeover of Net Zero stage
At Birmingham UK Construction Week in October.
AT Awards 2024 finalists announced
With more to come, prior to the Awards ceremony in October.
London construction cools as hotspots appear nationally
Increases in the East of England, Yorkshire and Scotland.
ARB proposals for a new Architects Code
Announced in the shadow of the final Grenfell Inquiry report.
Combining human creativity and tech innovation now and in the future
Building automation and control systems market study
BSRIA 2024 North America BACS software & services.
Impact of digital technology on productivity in construction
New CIOB academy guidance for companies of all sizes.
Demolition and retrofit approaches in Planning Policy
MHCLG demolition and retrofit survey to inform future updates to national planning policy.
Expert taskforce to spearhead new, new town generation
Sir Michael Lyons given 12 months for recommendations.
Government policy statement on new towns
A coded vision for a new generation of new towns.