ENVISION THE FUTURE OF BATHROOM WITH SIN PONLEU, THE ASIA-PACIFIC WINNER OF ASDA 2023, AND HIS BATHROOM DESIGN THAT EQUIPS WITH MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SPACE AND ENABLES FAMILY MEMBERS TO USE IT AT THE SAME TIME
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIXIL
(For Thai, press here)
“In my country, most of the people live in multi-generational homes. I see the problem of family members waiting for someone to use the bathroom before they can go in. That is why I want to design a bathroom that enables family members to use it at the same time,” Sin Ponleu said about his design that made him the Asia-Pacific Grand Prize winner of the American Standard Design Award (ASDA) 2023.
Sin Ponleu, the Asia-Pacific Grand Prize winner of the American Standard Design Award (ASDA) 2023
In Asia, it is common for parents, kids and grandparents to live under the same roof. According to research by the Pew Research Center in 2019, 45% of Asians live with their extended families in a single household. This living arrangement has seen a rise in the pandemic since people moved back in with their families, offering a sense of comfort in the time of isolation and financial support in the time of economic meltdown.
American Standard responded to the growing trend with the American Standard Design Award (ASDA) 2023. American Standard Design Award (ASDA) is a design competition that aims to inspire young designers and resonates with American Standard’s design philosophy in delivering thoughtful and innovative bathroom solutions. For ASDA 2023, the competition theme was ‘A Home to Love, A Space for Everyone’. The competition sought bathroom designs from interior designers and architecture students that serve multi-generation users under an area of only 6-7 sq.m.
Antoine Besseyre Des Horts, Leader of LIXIL Global Design, ASIA elaborated more on the inspiration of this year’s competition theme,
Antoine Besseyre Des Horts, Leader of LIXIL Global Design, ASIA
“In some of the world’s megacities like Singapore, Bangkok, and Shanghai, urbanization has been extremely strong and space has become scarce. The house is getting smaller and the space in the house is merged together: living room and kitchen becomes one communal space, bedroom and living room joins together.”
“At the same time, COVID-19 has accelerated multi-generational living. The elderly lives with young children and their parents. That has created a lot of challenges because people have different needs, so it is important for American Standard to offer an opportunity for young designers to rethink the bathroom in the context of multi-generational living, driven by the concern of urbanization, health, and well-being.”
ASDA 2023 opened for submissions from students across 10 countries; Australia, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The winner at the National level would then proceed to compete for the APAC Grand Prize Winner.
“Our judging criteria were; Purposeful Design, Inviting & Dependable, Aesthetics, Originality, and Feasibility,” said Besseyre Des Horts. “All of which were based on the brand’s promise. The design had to be relevant to the theme, addressing the user’s needs, and offering practical solutions. In the meantime, it had to provide inviting aesthetics, and present a pioneering design.”
Sin Ponleu, the winner of IndoChina (Cambodia/Laos/Myanmar), beat thousands of entries Asia-Pacific-wide with his design project ‘One space, One love’.
Inspired by multi-generational living in his home country, Cambodia, Ponleu proposed the bathroom as a multi-functional space that allowed family members of different ages to use it simultaneously.
While traditional bathroom design often combines a washbasin, shower head, and toilet in a single space, Ponleu’s 3.5m x 2m bathroom presented a different take by dividing the bathroom into four sections.
The washbasin is put outside as it does not require strict privacy. The father can wash his hands, and brush his teeth without disturbing the wife or the child taking a shower. The toilet has its own compartment and was equipped with a handrail to ensure safety, especially for the elders. Dedicating a compartment for the toilet also mitigates the spread of germs in the bathroom.
Likewise, the showering area was designed as a room. Adjacent to the shower is the space that sets Ponleu’s design apart from other submissions: the multi-functional space.
“People of different ages have different needs, I want to transform the bathroom into a multi-functional space where family members can do lots of activities,” explained Ponleu.
Informed by real-life scenarios that Ponleu has witnessed in his home country, the multi-functional space allows the parents to bathe their children, wash clothes or act as a ‘mini spa’ area to relax. The folding chair further invites flexibility in use.
The small water jar is a nod to the traditional Cambodian culture. The countryside Cambodian households usually store water in a water jar for consumption. Ponleu transformed the bulgy traditional water jar into an appealing and sleek jar, marrying contemporary aesthetics with traditional culture.
“We were really excited that the student dare to question and deconstruct the bathroom space,” said Besseyre des Horts on his overall impression of this year’s competition. “They offer a new way to look at the bathroom space and the relationship of the room with the rest of the living space, especially in the context of multi-generational living.”
Even though ASDA 2023 had been concluded, American Standard is now gearing up for their upcoming ASDA 2024 competition. If you are a student who likes to tackle this challenging competition, be sure to arm yourself up with curiosity, courage, and creativity, and stay tuned for art4d’s report on the design of Thailand’s 2023 winner which will spark your design imagination and encourage you to rethink how bathrooms should be.