Words The Kanto Team
Images LIXIL Philippines (American Standard Design Award)
“How would you design a hotel bathroom that will make traveling guests feel right at home?”
Thus goes the new bathroom challenge American Standard Design Award (ASDA) 2024 has in store for 2nd to 4th year architecture and interior design students in the Asia-Pacific, raring to test their design mettle with real-world challenges. Now on its third APAC edition, the ASDA program underscores parent brand American Standard’s commitment to raising the bar on bathroom and kitchen design, balancing beauty and functionality and enabling families to live out their best lives at home.
Last year’s American Standard Design Award competition was the biggest installment yet, attracting 6,000 registrations across APAC, which were then whittled down to 1,500 submissions, hailing from 1,000 universities. The multi-stage international competition culminated with Cambodia’s representative Sinn Ponleu as victor for his compact and modular multi-generational bathroom design, with the Philippine leg won by Aevan de Jesus for The Grid. All ASDA winners were then feted in an in-person gala night in Singapore after which a city-wide tour commenced.
Looking to start your design journey with the American Standard Design Award? Here’s your quick briefer on this year’s edition to get you up to speed!
The design brief
This year’s ASDA theme is “Home Away from Home.” The competition leaves the comfort of the home for the design of bathroom spaces within boutique hotels. Tailored for travelers, particularly young couples and families in their 30s to 40s with children aged 6-12, this segment emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere that resonates with the comforts of home. Seasoned travelers understand that a hotel is more than just a place to sleep; it should exude intimacy and a sense of belonging, offering a cozy retreat after a day in the city. The winning design will masterfully balance elements of design, space, and practicality within the 9-10 sqm hospitality bathroom space, ensuring guests always feel welcomed, at ease, and secure, regardless of their individual style preferences.
Who can join?
Eligible participants for this competition must be currently enrolled* as architecture or interior design students, starting from their second year of studies or higher. This opportunity is open to individuals in specific countries: Australia, New Zealand, Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar), Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Only individual participants are allowed, and each participant is permitted only one submission.
*Participants should be enrolled in colleges situated within the participating markets at the competition’s launch.
Who are the jury members?
For the national leg, ASDA 2024’s Philippine jurors are: IDr. Cynthia Almario (Creative Director and Co-founder of Atelier Almario), Arch. Cathy Saldaña (CEO of PDP Architects), and Arch. Richard Garcia (United Architects of the Philippines National President, 2024)
For the Asia-Pacific leg, the jury includes key figures at LIXIL, namely Satoshi Konagai (Leader, LWT APAC), Antoine Besseyre des Horts (Leader, Global Design for Asia), Jihae Kim (Leader, Category Management, LWT APAC), and the respective panels from all competing countries.
What is the judging criteria?
Purposeful Design (40%)
Concept should address the needs of travelers, particular families, and participant should elaborate how the bathroom design and selected American Standard product addresses these needs.
Inviting Style (30%)
The design aesthetics should be inviting and appealing to the target audience.
Originality (20%)
The entry should showcase the participant’s imagination while aiming for a unique solution. Participant should demonstrate the ability to look at the problems with a fresh perspective and an approach that is not influenced by what is already available.
Feasibility (10%)
The concept should be feasible and realistic enabling implementation in the real-life scenario.
Note: Bonus points will be awarded for using recommended products (maximum of 5 points).
What are the prizes at stake?
American Standard Design Award 2024’s 1st prize winner brings home USD 2,000, the 2nd prize USD 1,500, and the 3rd prize USD 1,000 at the national (per country) level. Each national winner will then vie for the sole honor of being the APAC grand winner, bagging USD 3,000 and presenting online to the ASDA grand jury.
LIXIL Philippines will also hand out five special awards worth PHP 15,000 each: People’s Choice Award, Best in Shared Space, Best in Aesthetics, Best in Functionality, and Best in Water Technology.
Each winner will receive an Award plaque while All participants will get a certificate of participation.
How do I submit my entry?
Kickstart your ASDA 2024 journey in four easy steps!
Register
Register your interest via the American Standard Design Award official portal (americanstandard-apac.com/asda). Upon registration, you will receive a login ID, password, and unique participant ID.
Download
Download the following files:
• Design Entry Template (PPT)
• Product List
Select
Select the American Standard products you want to use for your design from the Product List and download the corresponding 3D files.
Upload
Upload your design entry taking note of the following size limits
• Design Entry (PDF, max size: 1 MB)
• Full Bathroom Rendering (JPG, max size: 10 MB)
Need more convincing?
Why should you join the American Standard Design Award? Here’s a final prod from last year’s winners.
Sinn Ponleu, grand winner: I want the participants to enjoy the feeling of being challenged, of rising to the occasion, and of succeeding.
Aevan de Jesus, Philippine national winner: I hope that the batch of new designers values sustainability, innovation, and wellness in all design projects. ASDA 2023 will offer you mentoring, openness to new ideas, and collaboration with experienced architects. You will embrace challenges and take on new directions, you will go beyond the limits of your design skills, and you will explore out-of-the-box thinking.
