Timeline
1909: Villum Kann Rasmussen, founder of VELUX, is born in Denmark.
1941: The young engineer Villum Kann Rasmussen founds the VELUX Group. His first assignment is four roof windows for a local school in Denmark in 1942.
1942: Villum patented his first roof window called VELUX - "VE" from the word "ventilation" and "LUX" from the Latin word for "light."
1945: Villum invents the special pivot hinge that allows the VELUX window sash to tilt around its own axis in a 135-degree angle without causing damage to the outside zinc cladding.
1958: The VELUX Group expands throughout Europe and is present in 11 countries.
1965: Since expanding into 12 markets, Villum formulates the Model Company Objective, through which the VELUX Group commits itself to producing products "that are useful to society" and to "treat customers, suppliers, employees of all categories and shareholders better than most companies."
1968: The VELUX GGL is launched, bringing new advantages such as a full friction pivot hinge which allows the window to stay open at any angle, a ventilation flap, and the company's first own insulating pane.
1975: The VELUX Group establishes a sales company and later their own production company in the US and Canada.
1981-1991: VELUX product portfolio expands from a single product type to a full range of products, including top-hung roof windows, roller shutters, electric-powered windows, and an extensive range of accessories and sunscreening products.
1989-1999: The VELUX Group's strategy of introducing improved logistics and establishing local sales and production companies in more countries, including Russia and China, ensure the global availability of VELUX products.
1992: Villum Kann Rasmussen's eldest son, Lars, becomes Chairman of the Board of V. Kann Rasmussen Industries, the parent company of the VELUX Group. During the next decades, he develops, modernizes, and expands the VELUX Group into an international enterprise, consolidating its position as a market leader in the building components industry.
2000: The V21 product range is introduced, bringing improvements in installation, design, and functionality.
2002: The VELUX INTEGRA window is introduced with an electronic remote control.
2008: A comprehensive range of flat roof windows is launched to allow VELUX solutions on buildings without sloped roofs.
2009-2011: The VELUX Group experiments with sustainable living through the Model Home 2020 project. The project is comprised of six model homes in five countries where high energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and good indoor climate as well as visionary architecture go hand in hand.
2010: In collaboration with designer Ross Lovegrove, the VELUX Sun Tunnel is developed and launched. It's awarded the Red Dot Design Award by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany.
2011: A new series of sun screening products designed by Karim Rashid is launched. The VELUX Group also launches VELUX Modular Skylights, developed in collaboration with British architects Foster+Partners, for commercial buildings and public institutions.
2012: With the new generation of VELUX roof windows based on numerous inventions, the whole product portfolio is updated based on three goals: more daylight, more comfort, and less energy.
2016: The VELUX Group celebrates 75 years of innovation and dedication to bringing daylight and fresh air into people's lives.
2018: VELUX Active, developed in conjunction with Netatmo technology, launches. Operated by a smartphone app and integrated with the Apple HomeKit, VELUX Active uses smart sensor technology to monitor CO2, humidity levels, and temperature in the home and automatically opens and closes skylights as fresh air is needed.