It started with a good idea

On April 1, 1941, Villum Kann Rasmussen founded V. Kann Rasmussen & Co. in Copenhagen, specialising in glass roofing. The first project, a 900 m² glass roof for a flax mill in Aarhus, was secured by his TUBUS glazing bar patent. 

Later that autumn, he was commissioned to install roof windows in school lofts that were converted into classrooms. He was determined to “…once and for all make a skylight – a roof window – that in every respect was just as good as the best vertical window”.

In 1942, Slagelse Vestre School received the first set of roof windows. Villum had hand-written the name 'VELUX' on the invoice, combining 'VE' for ventilation and 'LUX' for light. The name was trademarked on October 3 of the same year.

The windows featured wooden frames, zinc cladding, watertight seals and condensation drains. This made them durable and easy to maintain, and allowed attics to be converted into comfortable living places.

Villum’s drive for product development and improvement led to the innovation of the PV-45 pivot hinge. This hinge allowed roof windows to rotate for easy cleaning from the inside. Filed in 1945 and patented in 1949, this fully reversible design became one of the most popular roof windows in the mid-20th century, setting the foundation for the VELUX brand’s success. He also filed a patent for an independent pivot hinge in 1946, which was registered in 1948.

By 1950, V. Kann Rasmussen & Co had outgrown its original Copenhagen office and moved to a new facility in Søborg. The 1,250 m² space was built using Villum’s VELKIN system, Denmark’s first standardised method for constructing factory halls.

By 1951, 22 salaried employees and 13 hourly-paid workers had moved into the new headquarters in Søborg.

The growing need for their own production facilities led Villum Kann Rasmussen, with support from his father-in-law, to establish the first VELUX factory in Østbirk in 1946. 

In 1950, he founded A/S Østbirk Bygningsindustri, gaining complete control over production. Today, Campus Østbirk serves as the VELUX Group's innovation, development, and testing hub.

Villum developed his first vertical window, originally named VELUX, but later renamed it VELFAC. Today, VELFAC is a renowned brand in the building industry and part of the VKR Group's DOVISTA division, a leading manufacturer of vertical windows and doors in Northern Europe.

Villum’s ambition extended beyond Denmark. In 1952, he partnered with Ernst Günter Albers, owner of the joinery E. Albers & v. Drathen (ALDRA) in Meldorf, Germany. As part of their agreement, Meldorf handled window production for the German market, while Denmark supplied the hardware and expertise. 

This first international venture further strengthened the company’s foothold in the European market and was instrumental in shaping the Group’s growth.

In February 1965, Villum penned the Model Company Objective — a mission statement outlining how the VKR Group would demonstrate corporate social responsibility by providing products beneficial for society and conducting business in an exemplary manner. This philosophy still guides the VKR Group today. Read the full statement here.

During the mid-1960s, the focus on roof windows intensified, and new markets emerged. In 1968, the iconic VELUX GGL roof window was launched, introducing innovations like a full-width control bar, a pivot hinge (PV-68) with total friction, a ventilation flap, and the company’s own insulated pane. It quickly became a major success. 

Winning the Danish Design Award in 1973 solidified the reputation of VELUX roof windows for high-quality, functional products.

In 1964, Villum’s eldest son Lars joined the company as a trainee at VELUX France in Paris.

Villum’s desire to give back to society led to the creation of the Villum Foundation on December 21, 1971, and the VELUX Foundation a decade later. These foundations were designed to reinvest business profits into philanthropy and fund initiatives in science, technology, social work, and environmental causes. 

Villum’s vision ensured his life’s work would inspire and support future generations. Over time, additional foundations were established, including the Employee Foundation of the VKR Group, VELUX Stiftung in Switzerland, V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation in the USA, and the KR Foundation.

After holding various roles within the VKR Group since 1964, Villum’s eldest son, Lars Kann-Rassmussen, began taking on leadership roles in the 1970s. After joining the management of Dansk VELUX A/S, he became a member of the Executive Board and Chairman of the VKR Group’s parent company, now known as VKR Holding A/S. In doing so, he continued his father’s legacy and steered the company’s growth into the future.

After introducing its roof windows to major Western European markets in the 1950s and 60s and establishing its own sales companies by the mid-1960s, VELUX expanded beyond Europe. After success in the USA during the 1970s, VELUX further extended its presence and opened operations in Australia (1980), Japan (1981), and Chile (1983).

By 1986, the VKR Group was one of the first Western European companies to establish a presence in Eastern Europe, beginning in Hungary. Three years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, they formed a joint venture with Fertődi Építőkomponens Kft. to sell and produce VELUX windows. 

This strategic expansion positioned the VELUX Group as a global leader in building components well before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On August 24, 1993, Villum Kann Rasmussen passed away and was buried near his childhood home on Mandø island. He left a thriving business and two non-profit foundations to his eldest son, Lars Kann-Rasmussen. 

Over the following decades, Lars modernised and expanded the VKR Group while positioning the business as a global leader in the building components industry.

For over 30 years, Lars Kann-Rasmussen championed sustainability and emphasised the need for a green transition. In a 1992 article in the Lyspunktet employee magazine, he highlighted that, due to the environmental impact of manufacturing, raw materials should be produced with minimal environmental impact, utilised as efficiently as possible, and generate the least possible waste.

His goal was to establish sustainable production and create products aligned with a circular economy, along with efforts to connect a healthy workplace with a sustainable planet. This set the stage for a green transition in the coming decades.

In 2001, the VELUX Group fully acquired its German operations after the Albers family sold its 50% stake, ending a partnership that had lasted nearly 50 years. This consolidation led to a new holding structure, giving subsidiaries more operational freedom while positioning VKR Holding A/S as an active industrial investor.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, VKR Holding expanded its vertical window and door business, acquiring companies such as Rationel in 1998 and Svenska Fönster in 2000. 

These acquisitions, together with VELFAC, Rationel Vinduer, Svenska Fönster, and Traryd Fönster, were grouped under DOVISTA A/S to create a unified portfolio of facade window brands that further strengthened the VKR Group’s market position.

Between 2008 and 2011, VKR Holding A/S initiated the construction of eight demonstration buildings across Europe to showcase energy-efficient designs that align with the Active House Vision. 

VELUX A/S continued experimenting with its Model Homes 2020 and, most recently, the Living Places project in 2022.

In 2010, Lars Kann-Rasmussen stepped down as Chairman of VKR Holding A/S and VELUX A/S after starting his career in the VKR Group in 1964 and leading its modernisation, particularly after 2000 when a new holding company was formed. He then continued his outstanding work as Chairman of the Villum Foundation until 2014.

In 2016, Mads Kann-Rasmussen, the third generation of the family, was appointed CEO of VKR Holding A/S. He holds a degree in economics, an MBA from Copenhagen Business School, and has studied at IMD Business School in Switzerland. Before joining the VKR Group in 2001, he worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group.

2021 marks the establishment of KOMPAS, an independent venture capital fund focused on sustainability and technological innovation in real estate, construction, and manufacturing. 

With KOMPAS, VKR Holding aims to invest 1 billion DKK in tech start-ups developing breakthrough solutions to transform the industry for a more sustainable future while targeting top-quartile financial returns.

A vital goal of the VKR Group is to restore the connection between the construction industry and nature — “Connecting buildings with nature.” This is pursued by producing and developing building components that 1) reduce carbon footprint, 2) promote a healthy indoor climate, 3) bring the outdoors in, and 4) are increasingly recyclable. 

While 100% of the goal has yet to be achieved, efforts are ongoing. Living Places is a beautiful example of this work.