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
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.