Words The Kanto team
Images LIXIL and the Asia-Pacific Property Awards
Bangkok burns bright
It wasn’t just Bangkok’s seasonal heat that had this year’s IPAX attendees on fire. A discernible buzz was palpable amongst the audience as the Asia-Pacific Property Awards finally revealed the winners of the 2026-2027 cycle for the Asia Pacific sector on May 6 and 7 at the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Now in its 34th year after its inaugural edition in London, the International Property Awards recognizes the innovations and stabs at excellence by the stakeholders and partners within the global property and real estate industry; winners get the right to affix the coveted APA ribbon on their projects, alongside access to publicity and networking opportunities at IPAX conventions in their respective regions.
APAC delegates across architecture, interior design, and real estate turned up at the Gala Dinner on May 7 for a night of recognition, revelry, and networking. These people of the hour were determined after a rigorous evaluation by a panel of more than 100 global industry experts and peers in London, who weighed on each entry’s design quality, innovation, and commitment to sustainability. The vetting process whittled down more than 800 submissions to a final number that represents the region’s current property baseline; the journeys of select nominees continues as they participate in the real estate battle royal of the International Property Awards later in the year.
India made a notable showing for this year’s cycle, while traditional powerhouse China appeared to see a dip in its usual haul of accolades. The ASEAN bloc marked a significant harvest of awards, led by host nation Thailand, with Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia prominently represented on the winners’ list. The Philippines maintained a steady trajectory, surpassing its performance in the 2025 cycle with a stronger collection of wins. Federal Land, Avida Land, and Landco Pacific led the local haul, while IDC Prime, Taft Properties, and Shang Properties joined them in netting five-star entries.
No man is an island
For an eighth consecutive year, bathroom solutions giant LIXIL, through its prestige brands GROHE and American Standard, served as International Property and Hotel Awards’ headline sponsors. This ongoing partnership is immortalized in a special collaboration revealed on May 6 at Soho House, Bangkok, where the bathroom solutions giant pulled back the curtain on a milestone tome. The book gathers winners from 2021 to 2026, providing a platform for past winners to unravel their design thinking and process. Another partnership celebrated during the evening, amid wine and banter, was GROHE SPA’s collaboration with Buster + Punch, which sees the LIXIL ultra-luxury marque sharing its exclusive finishes and design cues with the renegade London home hardware and lighting atelier.
During the IPAX convention, Audrey Yeo, Leader of LIXIL Water Technologies Asia Pacific, echoes IPA founder Stuart Shield in emphasizing the value of partnerships, reminding delegates that winning projects and firms are only possible through the power of collaboration, and that collaborations only prosper if one continues to innovate. Antoine Besseyre des Horts, LIXIL Global Design Asia lead, furthered his point in his keynote by speaking of raising the bar in water experiences, underlining the need to continually push the envelope to appeal to humanity’s multifaceted relationship with water, both sensually and practically. This appeal finds practice with the concurrent launch of the Acacia Supasleek line from American Standard, which features sleek, tapering profiles for ergonomics and EcoStart for up to 30% energy savings.
The four IPAX Talks panels, moderated by International Property Award partnerships head Etholle George, addressed the burning issues of the day in architecture, interiors, and real estate development. One soundbite that surfaced across the panels that included illustrious names like Foster+Partners, Woods Bagot, and Colliers came from David Yu of Lead8, an international practice based in Hong Kong. “There are no bad ideas, just ideas… and it pays to listen as we believe everyone is a designer.”
American Standard’s Acacia Supasleek
Recognizing beauty, luxury, and sustainability
The program’s three headline sponsor plums fetes another set of projects and designers raising the bar in design, sustainability, and luxury. This year saw a threefold increase in entrants for the special sponsor prizes, reaching 200+ submissions.
The GROHE Sustainability Award
First introduced in the 2023-2024 cycle, this award recognizes projects that exemplify the highest levels of eco-conscious development, mirroring GROHE’s now 20-year commitment to sustainability. This year’s winner, The Right Life by Mana Skanda by Mana Projects (India), follows in the footsteps of last year’s laureate, Starfish by Singapore’s SOG Design.
The Grohe Luxury Award
The Luxury Award is given to projects that encapsulate Grohe’s vision of modern luxury: spaces that create a holistic experience, seamlessly blending aesthetics and elegance with responsible consumption. Last year’s Stone Experience Center by MM Galleri passes the baton to Botanica Grand Modern Zen by Rhyme Design Group (Thailand)
The American Standard Innovation Award
With a legacy of more than 150 years, American Standard continues to honor “purposeful” design. This year’s winner follows the inaugural laureate, the Ansaya Phuket Sylva in Thailand. Beichen S1 by line+ Studio (China) claims this year’s honor.
The 2026-2027 Philippine Winners
The Philippine haul of 23 wins is distributed across 10 different companies, representing a diverse cross-section of the country’s current real estate priorities. Federal Land emerged as the winningest developer with 5 nods across five categories, followed by Avida Land and Landco Pacific with 4 wins apiece, and IDC Prime with 3 wins. Shang Properties secured two nods for Laya and Haraya Residences, while Arthaland, Filigree, and SMDC each brought home a win. REMAX Philippines, the local arm of the international real estate giant, nabbed its category, while Singapore-based interiors atelier White Jacket’s breezy, tropical interiors for South Palms Panglao secured the hotel interior win. Of note is Landco Pacific’s two nominee placements announced during the gala night, putting it in the running to represent the region in the global rounds.
Full list of winners below:
Federal Land NRE
The Observatory
- Apartment/Condominium Development
- Residential High-Rise Architecture (5 Stars)
- Residential High-Rise Development
Yume at Riverpark
- Residential Development, 20+ Units (5 Stars)
- Residential Interior Show Home
Avida Land
Serin Terraces Tagaytay
Apartment/Condominium Development
The Heights Katipunan
Residential Interior Show Home (5 Stars)
Avida Towers Verve
Residential High-Rise Development
Live Life More with Avida
Development Marketing (5 Stars)
Landco Pacific Corporation
The Nautilus
- Architecture Multiple Residences (5 Stars, IPA Nominee)
- Sustainable Residential Development
- Leisure Architecture (5 Stars, IPA Nominee)
- Leisure Development (5 Stars)
IDC Prime
Moena Mountain Estate
Hotel Architecture (5 Stars)
Baia Verde Green Estate
Mixed-Use Architecture
Riviera Residential Resort
Mixed-Use Architecture
Shang Properties
Haraya Residences
Residential High-Rise Development (5 Stars)
Laya Residences
Apartment/Condominium Development
Arthaland Corporation
Una Apartments
Sustainable Residential Development
Filigree
Two Botanika Residences
Sustainable Residential Development (5 Stars)
LPPA & Taft Properties
Soltana Mactan
Mixed Use Architecture (5 Stars)
REMAX Philippines
Philippines
Real Estate Agency Over 20 Offices
SM Development Corporation
Ice Tower Residential Offices
Mixed Use Development
Kanto got to catch up with two winning teams onsite to talk about their achievements.
Landco Pacific Corporation for The Nautilus
What specific, unconventional feature or design decision in The Nautilus do your APA wins finally validate for your team?
Maurel Luzano, VP for Operations and Business Development, Landco Pacific Corporation: Each win reflects a different dimension of The Nautilus, but together they tell one story. The Sustainable Condo win is vital because it proves sustainability is structural, not cosmetic. As the first residential beach condo in the Philippines with Preliminary EDGE Advanced Certification, featuring solar canopies and double-piped water systems from day one, the International Property Awards affirms that we are benchmarking against the world.
The architectural win validates our boldest design decision. Inspired by Jules Verne, we chose a form that interrupts the skyline rather than dissolving into it. Collaborating with Pomeroy Studio and Visionarch ensured the building could hold its own on a global stage. This ties into our Lifestyle Architecture and Development philosophy: we don’t just sell units but a vacation lifestyle within a functioning resort (Calatagan South Beach), managed through Landco Lifestyle Ventures.
On a personal note, when I am retired, I can proudly tell my grandkids: “Your lolo (grandfather) helped build that.”
What value does joining awards and competitions hold for your brand? How does it inform or help shape your company’s ethos?
Maurel Luzano, VP for Operations and Business Development, Landco Pacific Corporation: Competitions do three things for us, and none are about the trophy.
First, they force rigorous self-examination. Articulating our value to a global jury sharpens how our teams think and aligns our design, operations, and brand. Second, they raise the floor. An Asia-Pacific Property Award win sets a standard that every future project must exceed; our developments now inherit the accountability that comes with past recognition.
Finally, they expand the conversation about what the Philippine real estate is capable of. Competing against developments from the Americas and Europe puts Filipino-led coastal design on the global map. Ultimately, winning shapes our ambition. We walk away asking: if this is the best today, what does our next development have to be? That discomfort is where our best work begins.
Arthaland Corporation for Una Apartments
What specific unconventional choice, design feature, or approach in UNA Apartments does this win finally validate for your team?
Kristina Samantha Pobre, Head of Sustainability, Arthaland Corporation: The most unconventional thing we did for Una was deliver a sustainable project in the mid-market segment. In the Philippines, sustainability is rare, especially in residential projects within this bracket. This Asia-Pacific Property Award is a validation of our commitment to this market; it proves that sustainability is not just for the rich but is for the broader market; it is for everyone.
What value does joining awards and competitions hold for your brand? How does it inform or help shape your company’s ethos?
Leilani Kanapi, Vice President for Strategic Procurement, Arthaland Corporation: Receiving these awards is a testament to our efforts to ensure each of our projects is special. Being recognized helps our team feel immense pride in their work. They see a positive result from the hard work required to ensure we consistently go beyond what is expected of us.
Kristina Samantha Pobre, Head of Sustainability, Arthaland Corporation: I like to think of us as an advocate as much as a developer. We want to see more sustainability in the Philippines, not just from our own firm. Through these awards and conferences, we share that sustainability makes business sense. Because we have this global validation, we can prove to the public and other developers that this is what the global market is looking for. We want to inspire others and try to raise the bar collectively for the entire industry.
What’s next?
As another IPAX cycle closes, it does so after months of a world trapped in uncertainty and conflict. But if there is anything to gather from this gathering of minds, it is that chaos should not hamper the march toward the best possible spaces for humanity. If the International Property Awards’ 2026-2027 Asia-Pacific winners prove anything, it is that shaping our living spaces is an ongoing, resilient mission, one that can only prosper when we keep raising the bar. •
Kanto thanks LIXIL Philippines for enabling our IPA Asia-Pacific Property Awards coverage.
