Philippine Properties Bag Asia Pacific Property Awards 2023-24 Held in Bangkok

Last May 30, 2023, the International Property Award (IPA) recognized the outstanding achievements in the architecture, interior design, real estate, property development sectors through the Asia Pacific Property Awards (APPA) 2023-24. This year’s ceremony was held at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park in Bangkok, Thailand in partnership with LIXIL Water Technology power brands, GROHE and American Standard.

The prestigious event recognized 362 winning companies from across the Asia Pacific. This year, the APPA attracted over 900 registrations from companies across the region. Entries are meticulously judged by a panel of more than 100 industry experts and peers based on design, quality, service, innovation, originality, and commitment to sustainability. 

In an exclusive interview with BluPrint, Stuart Shield, IPA Founder, says that every year there is a subtle change in the number of entries. But the main takeaway is that the creativity of people is to innovate and to move forward not backwards. “We don’t want to go back in time but we want to go forward in time.”

Winners from the Philippines also flew to Bangkok to receive this prestigious award, including Projects Design Plus (PDP) Architecture Management Corporation, HBA Manila, Philippine Infradev Holdings Inc., L.P. Parias & Associates, and Alveo Land. 

Philippine Winners at The Asia Pacific Property Awards

The delegates from the Philippines arrived in Bangkok on May 29, 2023. In the evening, they attended the Welcome Cocktail Reception organized by LIXIL exclusively for LIXIL guests. It was a night of socializing with a delightful buffet of Thai cuisine and refreshing cocktails concocted especially for this evening event. 

Important people from the property industry were present in the event, including the IPA Founder Stuart Shield and Satoshi Konagai, LIXIL Leader for Asia Pacific. In his welcome speech, Konagia expressed his gratitude to everyone who continuously supported the brand and shared exciting news about the brand’s new offerings, including GROHE Spa, a new product line which offers a bespoke luxury bathroom experience at home.

On the following day, the first day of the awarding ceremony began with an opening remark from Lord Waverly, IPA Chairman of Judges. It was followed by a keynote speech from LIXIL APAC Leader Satoshi Konagai.

The morning program includes a Panel Discussion that talks about sustainability in Architecture. Moderated by Patchari Raksawong, the panel is consist of Terry Spinolo MD (Inarc Design), Huzaifa Chahwala (CEO Aesthetic Architecture), Priyanka Tanwar (Leader, Communications and Corporate Responsibility LIXIL Asia), Hilten Sethi (CEO Hilten Sethi Architecture), and Stephen Chow (Managing Director CAN Design). 

After the panel discussion, APPA winners in architecture received their awards. The three-time IPA winner from the Philippines Architect Leo Pariñas, Principal and Founder of LP Pariñas & Associates, told BluPrint that receiving an international award is a delightful experience and something very special to him. “Our design firm has made a mark in the industry. This will bring us to the next level and we wish to continue to guide others along the way,” he shares.

“I always look for new ways to provide innovative design solutions and insightful ideas to create groundbreaking architecture and remarkable placemaking. I also believe in constantly challenging the ordinary and the simple in our design and at the same time delivering highest quality workmanship to our clients,” Pariñas adds. 

PDP Architects was also an Award Winner for Residential High Rise Architecture Philippines with its project One Tolentino East. 

In the afternoon, another Panel Discussion took place focusing on Interior Design. The panel members include Antoine Besseyre des Horts (LIXIL Global Design Leader, Asia), Alexander Wong (CEO Alexander Wong Architects and Design), Andreas Thomczyk (Managing Partner AnScale Architecture Design), Chris Flannery (Director Swan & Maclaren), and Nikki Hunt (Founder Design Intervention).

The panel discussion was followed by the country-level awards ceremony in Interior Design Categories. HDA Manila is one of the winners from the Philippines. Architect Gina Tang, shared how this award means to her and her team. As an architect and an interior designer, she said that the award attributes to the hard work, collaboration, and trust they have had among their design team, together with the clients and partners. 

When asked what makes their project stand out among the rest, she said: “I believe what makes this project unique and stand out is the interior’s expressed sense of place through the innovative and contemporary application of elements inherent in Cebu.”

HDA Manila strives for excellence by keeping the passion and tirelessly pursuing the best solution.

The second day of the APPA started with a panel discussion on Real Estate participated by Andrew Liu (Managing Director Colliers Taiwan) and Suzanne Watkinson (Founder and Managing Director Ambiente Properties). It was followed by the awarding of winners in the Real Estate Categories. 

The afternoon panel discussion, meanwhile, focused on the development industry. It was participated by Satoshi Konagai, Saad Nazir (Chairman Blue World City), Ching-Jing Sheen (Founder Core Pacific Developers), Dr. Singh Intrachooto (Chief Advisor to Research and Innovation for Sustainability Centre (RISC) Magnolia Developers), and Norman Agleron (Partner HBA Manila).

Right after the discussion, winners from the development categories received their awards. Alveo Land Corporation and Philippine Infradev Holdings Inc., are among the winners from the Philippines. 

“On behalf of Alveo Land, we consider this a remarkable achievement for the company. It will inspire us to continue developing groundbreaking living and working solutions all over the Philippines,” Architect DinDin Gonzales, Deputy Head for Innovation and Design of Alveo Land, shared with BluPrint.

She added that winning this International Property Award introduces Alveo to a larger audience. “To be recognized for creating quality, customer-centric developments on such a global scale is truly humbling and inspiring. We share this recognition with our mother brand, Ayala Land, as we continue our commitment to enhance land and enrich lives for more people.”

“To excel as real estate developers, it is critical to maintain a strong mindset of constant growth and dedication. This ensures that we keep high standards of quality throughout the whole development process, be it from design to building and handover,” Gonzales on how Alveo Land strives for excellence.

The APPA culminated in a gala event with the announcement and presentation of the GROHE Award for Sustainability and the American Standard Award for Innovation. 

With all the winners from the Asia Pacific region, Stuart Shield highlights that there is no common theme among them. He explains that there are four separate elements in the property business. It starts with architecture. 

“Architects start drawing, even if it’s on computers. But a lot of architects still use paper to get their ideas quickly out of their heads and onto a piece of paper. Then they work that through on CAD or even traditional drawing boards. They have to get some of these ideas across to their clients. (…) Now, it’s often done with CGI, so that the clients can get a better idea. The architects know what you are looking at, but the clients don’t always read it well, but CGI helps. Then you have the building, the development, and the construction. And when that is finished, the interior companies come in to beautify it to make it more pleasant. And then of course, finally, it’s the agents who sell it. So in terms of common, What we have is a relationship.”

Stuart Shield, International Property Awards Founder

In terms of the commonality of the awards, he emphasized the if we have too much commonality, it would be boring and dull. “These awards are anything but that. We want imagination and everybody wants to be different,” he said.

If they have something in common, to Shield it will be that they all won awards. 

Philippine Delegates Visited the LIXIL Experience Center

The IPA winners from the Philippines spent their last day in Bangkok visiting the LIXIL manufacturing plant to have a closer look at how the company makes its products and achieve the highest quality. The team has gained further knowledge about the process and appreciate the brand’s state-of-the-art bathroom technology.

After the plant tour, the team headed to the LIXIL Experience Center in Bangkok to experience the new products from LIXIL brands, such as GROHE, American Standard, and INAX. It was an insightful and experiential tour that allows everyone to understand how each line of products improve user experience.

Photos by the Author