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Kohler Bold Design Awards Outlines Extraordinaries and Visionaries

December 21, 2022  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

Instituted in 2016 as a biennial event, the Kohler Bold Design Awards is a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the truly exceptional work done by architects and designers. Back after four long years, the awards took into consideration the new realities of the post-pandemic world which has led to new awakenings and renewed thought processes.

The highlight of the evening was 'John Michael Kohler Lifetime Achievement Award' conferred on Dr. Balkrishna V. Doshi, the doyen of Indian architecture and design. Dr Doshi has been instrumental in defining modern architecture in India, which is authentic and is strongly rooted in the Indian identity and history.

Though he could not attend the ceremony in person, he sent a specially recorded video message to acknowledge the award. The award was collected by Sonke Hoof on his behalf. Dr. Doshi is an architect, an urban planner, and an educator for the past 70 years and his ethical and personal approach to architecture has touched lives of every socio-economic class across a broad spectrum of genres since the 1950s. 

He has been a recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018 which is often referred to as 'architecture's Nobel' and 'the profession's highest honor.'

The awards attracted more than 1400 entries from the South Asian subcontinent and were adjudged by an eminent jury comprising global designers, entrepreneurs, and design thinkers. 

The Extraordinaries celebrate everyday infrastructure used by everyone. These are projects that break the banality and rejoice the creativity, designers and architects put in the day-to-day spaces across genres of residential, commercial, young and upcoming talent, hospitality public institution and retail.

The Visionaries are celebrated architects and designers who have the ability to foresee the future and adapt to the changing needs of the community. The awards included design for the future, the big idea, community harmony, environmental conscious, landscape design, material & skill adaptation and rebuild and revive.

Over the past six years it has become the most coveted award function in the design and architecture world. As Salil Sadanandan, president – KOHLER Kitchen & Bath South Asia, Middle East & Sub-Saharan Africa, rightly mentions, "The Kohler Bold Design Awards has grown in stature and this year the response has been overwhelming.”

“We witnessed some of the most innovative and thought-provoking designs which cater to the ever-changing landscape of modern urban spaces."

The winner list reflected a mix of young talent and proven experience as they walked away with a 'Golden Pencil', a trophy specially designed by Alex Davis.

As curtains came down on this edition, Vishal Chadha, managing director, Kohler K & B South Asia, commented, "As Kohler enters into its 150^th year of innovating and leading boldly, these awards recognize great design and celebrate new ideas. Kohler will continue to serve and co-create with the designer and architect fraternity."