"The future of architecture and design is being informed by today's events, and it is crucial for the talented and aspirational voices within this industry to rise above and give shape to what we will see in 10 or 15 years," said Larry Yuen, Kohler Co. Kitchen and Bath Group President. "The KOHLER Design Forum has been crafted to provide a place and time for this invaluable exchange to occur, and this year's theme of "All Things Connected" puts the spotlight on the growing and rapid integration of technology into our lives and how this is and will inform, shape and disrupt the design world."
Several forums have been held in key design hubs throughout Asia and Europe over the last three years, and have presented the insights from influential and award-winning designers and architects all over the world. This year's forum in Thailand saw a panel of speakers consisting of design professionals from various fields, including Sean Affleck, Architect & Project Director from MAKE Architects and a well-known International Architect from Hong Kong, William Lim, Managing Director of Hong Kong architectural firm CL3 and a well-known artist and art collector who was the artistic force behind the successful interiors of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore; Ou (Noppadol) Baholyodhin, Chief Creative Officer of Sansiri and world-famous Thai designer, and Mark Bickerstaffe, Product Development Director of KOHLER Kitchen and Bath who led the firm's design and product development across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific.
Hosted in conjunction with Monocle, a global affairs and lifestyle magazine, the new series was moderated by Josh Fehnert, Executive Editor at Monocle. Conversations were focused on how smart technology is shaping the world we live in and offered an interactive discussion on the integration of design and technology into our daily lives, touching on meaningful topics such as 'Responsive Cities' and discussing the use of smart technology in a people-centric way, and where the possibilities of artificial intelligence might take us.
The new series of KOHLER Design Forum comes on the heels of Kohler's successful and widely shared launch of the KOHLER Konnect smart home suite that includes the Verdera Voice lighted mirror with Amazon Alexa, and products enabled with KOHLER Konnect: DTV+ showering system, Numi Intelligent toilet, and Sensate kitchen faucet, among others. Kohler's new platform and product suite offer consumers the path to a bathroom with integrated voice control that provides enhanced convenience and connectivity.
Looking ahead, Angel Yang, President Kitchen & Bath Asia Pacific of Kohler Co. shared, "As Kohler continues to grow its presence in the Asia Pacific region, we look forward to continuously building new capabilities and partnerships to deliver innovative solutions for this region and beyond".
To learn more about Kohler's suite of products, visit www.kohler.co.th to find out more.