Through its GROHE brand, LIXIL, maker of pioneering water and housing products, welcomed nearly 1,600 delegates and guests to the World Architecture Festival 2024 (WAF) in Singapore. The seventeenth edition of WAF was held at the famous Marina Bay Sands, to recognize industry excellence and outstanding projects from across the world.
WAF is the largest global gathering of the leading architects and designers (A&D), who engaged in thought leadership talks, business networking and opportunities over the course of the prestigious event.
This year’s festival theme ‘Tomorrow’ examines how architecture, urban design, landscape and interiors will be affected by the trends we see around us in respect of population movement, city growth, digital technology, AI, immersive environments and cultural change. The global A&D community converged at WAF to advance this theme through various keynotes, speakers, and conversations to catalyze ideas and opportunities.
The theme resonates with the A&D community’s deep appreciation that buildings exert considerable aesthetic and psychological impact on our everyday lives. WAF reflects and advances this understanding through its live judging and discourse on competing ideas that affect the human experience. Over 800 entries vied for coveted awards across different categories. Out of the 53 category winners, 21 were from Asia and Australasia, led by Australia (9), China (3), Singapore, India and Japan (2 each).
GROHE, a part of LIXIL and a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, has supported WAF from the very beginning. As WAF Founding Partner, GROHE seeks to deepen appreciation of the unique role water plays for the design discipline and in shaping innovative architectural visions and solutions around the element of water. The GROHE SPA-inspired ‘Aquatecture’ exhibit at WAF highlights the fusion of water and architecture – elevating the significance and importance of water in architecture, and the health and well-being benefits this infusion brings.
GROHE is also the sponsor of the GROHE Water Prize, which was awarded to the Maotai Eco-Metaverse project, by Turenscape. This research and development project is being built across 8 hectares in Maotai Town, Guizhou Province, China, for a liquor distillery to manage a daily output of 7,000 tons of sewage and industrial wastewater, by creating an ecosystem that fully integrates water, nutrient, carbon, and energy recycling. Although specific to a planned distillery, the principles involved would apply to any industrial facility using large amounts of water. This is the sixth time the GROHE Water Research Prize has been awarded, with past winners across water filtration, generation and cooling systems in Bangladesh, Peru, Brazil, and Greece.
Audrey Yeo, Leader, LIXIL Water Technology, Asia Pacific, expressed, “As WAF Founding Partner, it is gratifying to see the tremendous industry support that’s enabled us to build WAF into one of the most respected global platforms for leading industry discussions and rigorous peer-reviewed awards. GROHE engagement with WAF, from the start, has never wavered to address and collaboratively find solutions to pressing industry issues and macro trends, such as personal wellbeing and sustainability, facing the A&D community.”
“Our GROHE SPA ‘Aquatecture’ installation showcases the powerful connection of water in architecture. Through continued engagement and dialogue, we aim to inspire architects and designers, encouraging collaboration and experimentation. The installation features our luxurious GROHE SPA collections, which have been curated and crafted to the highest standards and finishes, enabling freedom to design bespoke showering experiences for discerning consumers.” Audrey added.
Paul Finch, Programme Director, WAF, said, “We extend our deepest congratulations to all WAF and INSIDE award winners. They continue to impress industry peers with their forward thinking and visionary projects. The industry faces constant pressure to deliver excellence in the face of change, which we explored through our ‘Tomorrow’ theme. We appreciate the support extended from all quarters of the industry, especially our sponsors and delegates, in advancing design excellence across the discussions, awards, and networking at WAF.”
For further information on LIXIL Global Design, please visit this Instagram link.
