SINGAPORE, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --  American Standard, one of the most iconic brands in sanitary ware and part of LIXIL, maker of pioneering water and housing products, brought together thought leaders in Architecture and Design around the Asia Pacific region to share practical insights, current trends, and thoughtful ideas with their inaugural webinar series, the American Standard Design Catalyst L!VE ("ASDC") on Wednesday, 23 March.

The first webinar of the series was attended by nearly 1,500 industry professionals from across the region, including a strong attendance from the Philippines, Thailand, and India. The event was simultaneously streamed in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai and Vietnamese. Lively discussions flourished amongst the 15 expert speakers and highly engaged attendees touching on three macro trends: Health and Well-being, Sustainability, and Urbanization.

The different macro trends weaved into almost parallel stories of how purposeful design can be a catalyst for richer human experiences, healthier spaces and support sustainable lifestyles. Attendees also engaged in the conversations with insightful questions that navigated how professionals within the Architecture and Design industry can inspire the design of future communities, cities, and global economies.

Satoshi Konagai, Leader LIXIL Asia Pacific, stated, "We are honored to receive such an overwhelming response to the inaugural American Standard Design Catalyst L!ve webinar. Design thinking is a key element to LIXIL and American Standard towards meeting and realizing consumers' needs and aspirations to make better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. As a group, we develop over 100 new water and housing products each year at our 5 design centers in Japan, the US, Europe and Asia."

Mr. Konagai added, "Through the ASDC, we wanted to share our experiences alongside industry leaders, to catalyze design thinking with architects and designers across the region on the macro trends of Health and Well-being, Sustainability and Urbanization. LIXIL and American Standard will continue to create opportunities for engaging conversations with industry experts to address these real-life macro trends and related challenges."

Health & Wellbeing

The discussion kicked off with Health & Wellbeing in the hospitality industry  with Hayley Mitchell from Mitchell & Eades ("M&E") in Australia and Ivy Almario of Atelier Almario in the Philippines. Ivy described the evolving design and technology of bathrooms over the last two decades as fundamentally changing the user experience and heightening expectations. "Hotels are seen as a laboratory for delivering multisensory delights and influencing consumers," Ivy explained.

The audience was transported by Hayley to exotic destinations in India, Dubai and China to uncover M&E projects that combined well-being with design excellence. Hayley showcased how purposeful design blends the use of light, space, temperature and water with the human senses of sight, sound, touch, and even natural circadian rhythms that affect alertness.

Sustainability

With over 60% of the attendees highly anticipating the topic, Sustainability offered many thought provoking insights. With the global wellness economy valued at USD 4.4 trillion, Jojo Tolentino from AIDEA in the Philippines shared that "an individual's wellness is intrinsically linked to the wellness of their environment". Most of our waking hours are spent within buildings; hence it is natural that building developers and designers are stepping up to their game with intelligent design responses to enhance human wellbeing.

Ary Indrajanto from Aboday in Indonesia spoke on the importance of inspiring the next generation of designers. Ary shared his personal and professional journey that led him to redefine architecture and how broadening his audience into community-led projects could be of similar benefit and impact for younger designers. "As long as there is a passion for the community, architecture can be a generator and connector to bring prosperity to the community," he explained.

Urbanization

The final  topic started on how smaller spaces can offer many opportunities. Rahul Kadri, from IMK Architects in India, used examples from India's rapid urbanization and high urban population density as starting points for discussing how designers and architects can catalyse design for high-density buildings to uplift living and hygiene standards.

With the knowledge that societies and economies will continue to evolve as they adapt to the development of shared infrastructures, services, and spaces, Rakesh Kumar of Godrej in India ended the webinar by sharing how designs for structures like micro-apartments and offices can offer solutions to urbanization. With urbanization on the rise, the discussion touched on design trends such as biophilic design, multi-use spaces, Internet of Things ("IoT") technology and how they can bring practical benefit to communities.

Panelists and speakers:

• Hayley Mitchell, Director, Mitchell and Eades, Australia
• Ivy Almario, President & Co-founder, Atelier Almario, Philippines
• Samantha Eades, Director, Mitchell and Eades, Australia
• Chat Fores, Founder, Chat Fores Design Studio, Philippines
• Arch. Jojo Tolentino, President & CEO, AIDEA Incorporated, Philippines
• Ary Indrajanto, Founder, Aboday, Indonesia
• Alan Kueh, Managing Director, AK+ Archipedia Pte Ltd, Singapore
• Arch. Le Truong, Founder & CEO, TT- Associates, Vietnam
• Rahul Kadri, Partner & Principal Architect, IMK Architect, India
• Rakesh Kumar, Chief Design Officer, Godrej Properties Ltd, India
• Hun Chansan, Principal Architect & Founder, re: edge Architecture, Cambodia
• Naresh V Narasimhan, Managing Partner, Venkataraman Associates, India
• Satoshi Konagai, Leader, LWT APAC, LIXIL
• Priyanka Tanwar, Leader, Communications & Corporate Responsibility, Asia, LIXIL
• Antoine Besseyre Des Horts, Leader, Global Design, Asia, LIXIL

The ASDC webinar is available for viewing now at www.americanstandard-apac.com/asdc. More information on upcoming Design Catalyst L!VE sessions can be found at the American Standard Design Catalyst website  and  LinkedIn  pages.

ABOUT AMERICAN STANDARD

As one of the most iconic brands in sanitary ware, American Standard has earned the trust of its customers by constantly delivering style, quality, and reliability to their bathrooms. Today, backed by more than 140 years of pioneering legacy, American Standard continues to raise the bar in delivering dependable bathroom solutions that combine thoughtful designs and innovative technologies to create inviting bathroom spaces offering ultimate hygiene, comfort, and convenience. For more information, kindly visit www.americanstandard-apac.com.  

ABOUT LIXIL

LIXIL makes pioneering water and housing products that solve everyday, real-life challenges, making better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. Drawing on our Japanese heritage, we create world-leading technology and innovate to make high quality products that transform homes. But the LIXIL difference is how we do this; through meaningful design, an entrepreneurial spirit, a dedication to improving accessibility for all, and responsible business growth. Our approach comes to life through industry leading brands, including LIXIL, GROHE, American Standard, INAX, and TOSTEM. Over 70,000 colleagues operating in 150 countries are proud to make products that touch the lives of more than a billion people every day.

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