2nd edition of Kohler Bold Design Awards to fete innovation

Kohler’s Salil Sadanandan on what’s in store at the second edition of the Kohler Bold Design Awards.

Salil Sadanandan, president, K&B South Asia, Middle East and Sub Saharan Africa, talks about the second edition of Kohler Bold Design Awards (KBDA).

KBDA serves as a platform that showcases the best talents in the field of innovation and design. Excerpts from an interview:

Kohler Bold Design Awards is considered to be an honour for the architect and design community. Can you tell us more about it?
The Kohler Bold Design Awards are essentially our way to celebrate the best minds in the Indian architects and design community. These biennial awards aim to set a new benchmark in the industry and to recognise exemplary work done by Indian architects.

Through two categories divided into 11 sub-categories, these awards celebrate extraordinary individuals. The extraordinaries — the leaders of innovation who are at the forefront of changing the way we think about design, and the visionaries —the architects who are looking at the future of design while also making a positive impact on the environment.




The John Michael Kohler Lifetime Achievement Award is given for noteworthy contributions to Indian architecture by the nomination of the jury.

What is the Golden Pencil?
Designed by Alex Davis, the Golden Pencil trophy is awarded to the winners of the Kohler Bold Design Awards. The Golden Pencil, which is actually in the shape of a pencil shaving, signifies the preparation and perseverance required to create a masterpiece of design.

Can you tell us about the jury for this edition of the awards?
This year, we have a stellar set of architects on the jury panel. We have Abha Narain Lambah, a well-known conservation architect; Chitra Vishwanath, who is known for an extensive portfolio of work that centres on the preservation of local resources; Fabio Novembre, an Italian product and interior designer; the Aga Khan awardee Jimmy Lim; architect Kamal Malik, who has an impressive portfolio of projects executed over the past 38 years; Pankaj Vir Gupta, the recipient of the George Nakashima Foundation for Peace and the Fritz-Höger Award for Excellence in Brick Architecture; Italian architect Paola Navone; celebrated architect Sharukh Mistry; and Sunita Kohli, India’s first interior designer to be conferred the Padma Shri.

Each one of them has made their names known in the industry by sheer excellence. This internationally-recognised panel will ensure a rigorous shortlisting process to make the awards a truly coveted prize in the architecture community in India.

What is your vision for the Kohler Bold Design Awards?
We envisage it to be the defining award for architecture and design in India. It is our endeavour to recognise and celebrate truly exceptional work from the Indian architecture and design fraternity. This year, the second edition returns to honour the stalwarts in architecture through the 11 categories. Kohler, as a company, is committed to giving back to the architecture community through these awards and is going to continue to invest in developing this property in the years to come.