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
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.
Biomass harvested in cycles of less than ten years.
An interview with the new CIAT President
Usman Yaqub BSc (Hons) PCIAT MFPWS.
Cost benefit model report of building safety regime in Wales
Proposed policy option costs for design and construction stage of the new building safety regime in Wales.
Do you receive our free biweekly newsletter?
If not you can sign up to receive it in your mailbox here.