Alberto Campo Baeza receives the Daylight Award 2024 in Architecture
On the International Day of Light, The Daylight Award announces the 2024 laureates: Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza for his work in architecture and German professor of chronobiology Till Roennenberg for his research work.
This year’s jury was composed of Juhani Pallasmaa (jury chair), Dorte Mandrup, Iwan Baan, Yvonne De Kort, Russell Foster, Michael Balick and Gerd Folkers. Among other merits, the jury has highlighted that “Campo Baeza has numerous brilliant examples of architectural light as directed and focused beams of light creating a sense of focus, drama, and significance.
But the uniqueness of his architecture is to make us aware of the presence of daylight around us. Regardless of their modernity, his white buildings continue the ageless tradition of white-washed houses around Mediterranean, reminding us of the historical fact that this formal severe white vernacular architecture inspired early modernism.
Campo Baeza’s buildings are usually brilliantly all-white, both in the exterior and the interiors; they appear to be sunk in white light. The whiteness makes the viewer conscious of daylight as a gift, and its seminal importance for all life on earth, as well as for human culture. Alberto Campo Baeza’s architecture also makes us aware of the spiritual and symbolising qualities of light”.
Previous architecture laureates have been Steven Holl (2016), Hiroshi Sambuichi (2018), Juha Leiviskä (2020) and Grafton Architects (2022). Previously, the foundation has awarded best practices in daylighting to, among others, Jørn Utzon (1980) and Peter Zumthor (2010).
Alberto Campo Baeza repeats that awards are always more the result of the generosity of those who give them than of the merits of those who receive them. Source and images Courtesy of Alberto Campo Baeza.
