Within our Indo-Pacific region there are many examples of projects and products that are leaders in design, sustainability and form. That they set the design agenda and help inform our future places them at the pinnacle of architecture and design as the influencers in our world.

In this year’s INDE.Awards, The Influencer category includes a diverse array of entrants with projects and products included in the shortlist. Each has a story to tell and many respond to the call to sustain our planet, making an impact in a town, a country and the region.

As supporter of The Influencer, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) delivers hardwood timber across the globe and has the bigger picture firmly in its sights. Just as the entries in The Influencer stand out from the pack, so too does AHEC through its commitment to renewable resources and recognition of visionary design.

BSF Sengkol Organic Waste Conversion Facility. Photography: Bagus Insani

Reviewing the shortlist of The Influencer Rod Wiles, AHEC director: Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania commented, “That the future is bright. The 12 shortlisted entries demonstrate the variety of creative thought across the region, all of which challenge us to consider and question design convention.”

Wiles also observed, “The most exciting thing is that so many of the entries take environmental responsibility to their heart. The environmental impact of the designs was considered from the outset and is reflected in the material choice for many of the shortlisted entries. This is something we have been championing with American hardwood species for more than a decade given our investment in documenting the LCA of US hardwoods and through encouraging architects and designers to learn and think about the true environmental cost of their choices.”

iADC Design Museum, photo courtesy of Arch-Exist Images

Looking to the future both AHEC and the entries in The Influencer are making a statement that goes far beyond the design of a project or a product and explores the thinking that underpins a design along with the environmental impact.

Asked if there was particular entrant that stood out from the group, Wiles, said, “It has to be theTe Whare Nui o Tuteata : SCION Timber Innovation Hub in Rotarua. It’s wonderful to see timber technology being celebrated. This is an excellent example of why wood, used in this structure as CLT and Glulam, can be the future of construction.”

Te Whare Nui o Tuteata : SCION Timber Innovation Hub

The INDE.Awards is an exciting platform for design, both at home and in the countries of our neighbours. Reflecting on the Awards Wiles elaborated more fully that, “We are a global organisation and this is the only awards that celebrate design across the Indo Pacific region. It also exposes the rest of the world to the amazing work and talent that we are privileged to see frequently through the relationships we have across the region. India, Southeast Asia, Greater China, Australia and New Zealand are all markets we support and who embrace the use of American hardwoods. We’re delighted with the innovation shown in our shortlisted entries and are also eager to see the entries in other categories.”

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The Influencer

Proudly partnered by AHEC

Guha, photo by Bacteria Photography

BSF Sengkol Organic Waste Conversion Facility
Bambook Studio with Aurbamboo
Indonesia

CArrelé – The Calcium Brick Collection
The Fabrik Lab with Nature Squared
Philippines

Guha
RAW Architecture (Realrich Architecture Workshop)
Indonesia

iADC Design Museum
Rocco Design Architects
China

Ona Coffee
Breathe Architecture
Australia

Sarah & Sebastian
Russell & George
Australia

St. Carolus Hospital Screening Facility
AT-LARS
Indonesia

Te Whare Nui o Tuteata: SCION Timber Innovation Hub
RTA Studio & Irving Smith Architects
New Zealand

The Galen
ID21
Singapore

The Stone Hedge – Redefining Responsible Tourism
Inspiration with Vistaar Associates
India

ToT – Tower of Terraces
Prashant Sutaria Architects (PSA) with Hemanti Sutaria
India

Villa Serena: The First Net Zero Villa in Lombok
Bambook Studio
Indonesia

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