By Anthony Capkun
Published: August 31, 2026
Main Facts
VELUX, a global leader in skylight and roof window manufacturing, has officially inaugurated its very first Experience Center in North America. Located at 312 Castro Street in the heart of Mountain View, California, the flagship facility is designed to serve as an immersive, educational hub for homeowners, architects, builders, remodelers, roofers, and interior designers alike.
Rather than functioning as a traditional retail storefront, the new venue is engineered as an interactive showroom. It features fully realized, functional living environments, hands-on technology displays, educational zones, and dedicated spaces for personalized design consultations. Visitors can explore firsthand how advanced daylighting, indoor ventilation, and modern skylight integration can radically enhance residential wellness, energy efficiency, aesthetic appeal, and overall human comfort.
Beyond catering to design and construction professionals, the Mountain View hub also houses the company’s third dedicated Pro Partner Academy in the United States. This academy offers specialized, tuition-free business and hands-on installation training for local contractors. To further support the Bay Area building community, VELUX has deployed mobile training vans capable of delivering on-site instruction directly to contractor teams.
The high-profile project brought together an international team of design and construction experts. Conceptual design was spearheaded by Denmark-based OEO Studio, while architecture and development were managed by DERN Architecture + Development. General construction was executed by Hillhouse Construction Company. True to the brand’s commitment to domestic manufacturing, VELUX skylights showcased in the center are proudly produced in the United States at facilities located in Greenwood, South Carolina, and Wells, Maine.
Chronology: The Journey to Mountain View
The realization of North America’s premier VELUX Experience Center represents the culmination of years of strategic planning, architectural refinement, and a deliberate shift in how building product manufacturers engage with both consumers and trade professionals.
Phase 1: Conceptualization and Design (2024–2025)
Recognizing a growing consumer demand for healthier indoor environments—spurred by increased time spent indoors and a heightened awareness of circadian health—VELUX leadership began conceptualizing an immersive physical environment that transcended traditional catalog browsing. The company engaged OEO Studio, a renowned Danish design firm celebrated for its minimalist, human-centric aesthetic, to translate the core tenets of Scandinavian light and design into a California context.
Concurrently, VELUX partnered with DERN Architecture + Development to adapt the historic and structural nuances of the Mountain View commercial space at 312 Castro Street. The goal was to create an architectural envelope capable of capturing, modulating, and displaying natural light in real time across various simulated rooms, including kitchens, living spaces, and home offices.
Phase 2: Construction and Fit-Out (Late 2025–Mid 2026)
Hillhouse Construction Company took the reins of the physical buildout. Transforming a standard commercial footprint into a precision-engineered daylighting laboratory required intricate structural modifications. Roof penetrations, specialized structural framing to support various skylight weights and configurations, and integrated smart-home automation wiring were meticulously installed. Every corner of the showroom was optimized to demonstrate how daylight interacts with diverse architectural materials, finishes, and spatial volumes.
Phase 3: Launch and Inauguration (August 2026)
Following the completion of interior installations and the setup of the Pro Partner Academy training infrastructure, VELUX officially opened its doors to the public in late August 2026. The launch establishes a new benchmark for experiential retail within the architectural products sector.
Phase 4: Upcoming Public Open House (September 18, 2026)
To officially celebrate the milestone with the local community, VELUX has scheduled a grand public open house event on September 18, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The celebration will feature live music, interactive photo booths, guided architectural tours, and special guest appearances by prominent design influencers Shavonda Gardner and the Renovation Husbands. Additionally, attendees will have the unique opportunity to participate in a giveaway to win two VELUX skylights.
Supporting Data & Industry Context
The launch of the Mountain View Experience Center occurs against a backdrop of shifting consumer preferences and evolving architectural standards across North America. Understanding the broader data behind wellness architecture and domestic manufacturing sheds light on the strategic timing of this launch.
The Rise of Human-Centric Architecture
Modern architectural trends place immense value on indoor environmental quality (IEQ). According to various housing and wellness studies:
- The Indoor Era: North Americans spend approximately 90% of their lives indoors, making the quality of indoor air and natural light critical public health factors.
- Circadian Alignment: Exposure to dynamic natural light via vertical windows and overhead skylights is proven to regulate human circadian rhythms, improving sleep quality, cognitive performance, and mood.
- Energy Efficiency: Modern energy-efficient glazing and smart-ventilating skylights significantly reduce the need for artificial daytime lighting and mechanical cooling, aligning with stringent California Title 24 energy codes.
VELUX Manufacturing Footprint
While VELUX is a globally recognized brand with Danish roots, its operational footprint in the United States remains robust and locally anchored. The company maintains major production facilities in:
- Greenwood, South Carolina: A massive manufacturing and distribution hub servicing residential and commercial markets across the eastern and central United States.
- Wells, Maine: A specialized production facility catering to the demanding weather resistance and energy efficiency needs of northern climates.
This dual-plant domestic supply chain ensures that products showcased in the California Experience Center are manufactured locally, reducing transit emissions and supporting regional employment.
Official Responses and Executive Insights
The strategic importance of the Mountain View launch has drawn commentary from top-tier corporate leadership, emphasizing the brand’s vision for the future of residential design.
Stephan Moyon, President of VELUX America/Canada, underscored the transformative nature of the project during the inauguration:
"This Velux Experience Center represents an exciting new chapter for our company. For decades, we have provided industry-leading solutions that bring light and fresh air into homes. However, seeing a skylight in a brochure or on a computer screen is vastly different from standing beneath one, feeling the shift in natural illumination, and experiencing the seamless integration of smart ventilation control firsthand. Mountain View is a hub of innovation, making it the ideal birthplace for this new experiential model in North America."
Local trade partners and educational leads have similarly praised the integration of the Pro Partner Academy within the facility. By bridging the gap between product manufacturers and hands-on installers, VELUX aims to elevate installation standards across the Pacific West. Contractors utilizing the academy gain direct access to factory-certified methodologies, minimizing callbacks, improving roof integrity, and mastering the integration of solar-powered and electric-ventilation models.
Broader Implications for the Construction and Design Industry
The establishment of the VELUX Experience Center in Mountain View signals several broader shifts within the construction, remodeling, and architectural products sectors.
1. The Shift Toward Experiential Showrooms
Traditional building supply yards and wholesale showrooms are increasingly being replaced by experiential, design-forward spaces. Architects and homeowners no longer wish to select materials from static two-dimensional samples. By providing fully realized living environments where light, air, and technology interact in real time, VELUX has set a new precedent for customer engagement. This model allows decision-makers to test smart-home automation features, rain-sensor closures, and solar-blind integrations before making significant financial investments in home renovations.
2. Strengthening the Contractor Ecosystem
Labor shortages and the demand for specialized technical expertise continue to challenge the construction industry. By embedding the Pro Partner Academy directly into the Experience Center—complemented by mobile training vans that travel across the Bay Area—VELUX is actively investing in workforce development. Empowering contractors with free, hands-on installation training ensures that complex architectural elements like skylights and roof windows are installed safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards of weatherproofing and structural integrity.
3. Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration
By placing an interactive hub in the heart of Silicon Valley—a region synonymous with technological innovation—VELUX is intentionally fostering dialogue between architects, builders, tech developers, and end-users. As smart-home ecosystems become more prevalent, integrating natural light solutions with automated climate control systems requires close cross-industry collaboration. The Mountain View center serves as a neutral, collaborative ground where these diverse disciplines can converge, experiment, and envision the future of sustainable, wellness-driven residential architecture.
As VELUX evaluates the success of this inaugural North American location, industry observers anticipate that the Mountain View model may well serve as a blueprint for future experiential rollouts in major metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada.
