2021 INDE.Awards: The Influencer Shortlist

June 24th, 2021

Tags: 2021 inde awards, 2021 INDE.Awards Shortlist, AHEC, INDE, INDE Shortlist, INDE. Awards, INDE.Awards 2021, INDE.Awards The Influencer, The influencer

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.

2021 INDE.Awards: The Influencer Shortlist

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. Photography: 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.”