Kohler, the global lifestyle brand, held the second edition of the Kohler Bold Design Awards on November 30, 2018. The glittering ceremony, held at the iconic Royal Opera House in the City of Dreams - Mumbai, saw architects and design professionals from across the country garner recognition for their outstanding achievements.
Instituted in 2016, the biennial Kohler Bold Design Awards seeks to recognize the best of Indian design and architecture, and in a very short span of time, has come to be known as the eminent celebration of excellence in these fields.
This year's edition saw 14 Golden Pencils up for grabs, including the prestigious John Michael Kohler Lifetime Achievement Award adjudged by distinguished names such as Abha Narain Lambah, Chitra Vishwanath, Fabio Novembre, Jimmy Lim, Kamal Malik, Pankaj Vir Gupta, Paola Navone, Shahrukh Mistry, and Sunita Kohli.
In addition, the Kohler Bold Design Awards extended the prestigious John Michael Kohler Life Time Achievement Award to Raj Rewal. The jury recognized Raj as an architect and urban design consultant whose humanist approach to architecture has global influences while seamlessly integrating cultural nuances and traditions. The jury deemed his dedication to and, appreciation of these essential elements as crucial to the future of human-focused design.
Salil Sadanandan, President, Kohler K&B India, Middle East and Sub Saharan Africa said, "The Golden PencilTM, is a symbol of preparation, persistence and excellence. The steel-and-gold trophy, a triumph of design itself, symbolizes exclusivity and brilliance and is awarded only to those talented professionals who have redefined the world of architecture with their ingenuity and talent. We are amazed at the number and the quality of entries this year and I congratulate the winners as well as the nominees for being truly well deserving of this recognition."
The nominations process that spread over two days entailed the jury rigorously sifting through over 1,200 nominations sent in by renowned architects, to come up with a final list of 37 nominees, from which the eventual winners were picked. The entries were screened on the following parameters- Idea, Aesthetics, Details, Practicality and Relevance.
The occasion was also graced by several leading lights of the design & architecture fraternity, who acknowledged the remarkable work done by their fellow professionals.