As the country continues to shine across the world, a team of Kenyans has been named the winners of the Lexus Design Awards 2020 after emerging the best out of 2,000 entries from 79 countries.
Lexus International named Bell Towers team comprising John Brian Kamau, Joyce Wairimu Gachiri, Ian Githegi Kamau, Esther Wanjiku Kamau and Arvin Booker Kamau as the winners.
The design, named Open Source Communities, was awarded Ksh2.5 million to make a physical prototype of the house to be showcased at the Lexus design installation at the upcoming Milan Design Week.
The winning design addresses challenges often found in developing countries by using smart open-source planning to design affordable communities with sustainable clean water resources.
According to images seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the design incorporates aspects of harvesting water and recycling it for other purposes.
The Ministry of Water reports that with a population of 50 million, 40 percent of Kenyans rely on unimproved water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells and rivers, while 70 percent of Kenyans lack access to basic sanitation solutions.
These challenges are especially evident in rural areas and urban slums where people are often unable to connect to piped water infrastructure.
"It was a great honor for us as BellTower, to be one of the 6 finalists and then win the Grand Prix of Lexus Design Award 2020. Our journey began with many challenges. However, we persevered to showcase our ambitious concept.
"Our experience has taught us invaluable lifelong lessons. All our future designs will be aligned with the key principles we learned as part of the Lexus family," John Brian Kamau stated after the team was selected as finalists.
Each of the six international finalists presented their designs to a panel of judges explaining how they would create a Better Tomorrow.
The participants had mentors who supported and guided the finalists for six months.
"At different moments in time, design has celebrated bold aesthetics, extreme functionality, and even humor and wit. But today, with our world plagued by the enormous issues of climate change and social inequality, there is a design imperative for systemic design solutions," judge Jeanne Gang stated.
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