From local success to global distinction: LIXIL celebrates the beauty of Philippine housing at a special IPA Thanksgiving Dinner

Global water technology leader LIXIL, the main sponsor of the Prestigious International Property Awards (IPA), successfully hosted a special local appreciation dinner and awards ceremony at the Electric Garden this month. Themed “Building Tomorrow: Honoring Outstanding Philippine Development Performance,” the high-profile, in-person gathering brought together the country's top real estate developers to honor outstanding Philippine entries that have made it to the regional stage.

Celebrating the highest achievements in construction, development, and interior design, the Asia Pacific Property & Hotel Awards 2026–2027, the regional branch of IPA, was held in Bangkok, Thailand last month. For engineers who could not attend the main regional gathering in Bangkok, the Manila event allowed local industry leaders to network, exchange strategic insights, and celebrate their collective victories. With the accolades brought home, the event highlighted a powerful truth: global real estate development is not limited by geography, and Filipino developers have the ability to position themselves firmly in the wider international real estate community.

Raising Industry Standards Through Innovation and Design

Beyond the celebratory night, the program sought to raise industry standards by highlighting innovation, sustainability, design quality, and best practices across the construction industry. As the title sponsor of IPA, LIXIL used the evening to demonstrate its commitment to partnering with the landscape builder community, and demonstrate how its brands, American Standard and GROHE, enable developers to deliver affordable, sustainable, and highly sought-after buildings.

The evening featured special displays of LIXIL's cutting-edge water technology, including GROHE's global sustainability initiatives, as well as the Wizflo and Supasleek collections from American Standard, showing how smart, eco-efficient fixtures seamlessly blend into luxury and contemporary urban architecture.

A Night of Culture, Recognition, and Competition

The event started with networking opportunities, followed by a cultural performance by the acclaimed group Anak Bale Balayan.

The Awarding Proper was led by LIXIL officers Audrey Yeo, Jorim Sampayan, Hermie Limbo. Top Philippine engineers stepped up to receive official local recognition, boosting confidence in the entire industry to aim for even higher next year's awards. Adding an extra element of innovation and healthy competition to the evening, the event also showcased the mechanics and announced the winner of the highly anticipated INAX Saras Light E award.

President and CEO of Landco Pacific Corporation Erickson Manzano, who received multiple awards under the categories of Architecture and Development for their Nautilus project in CaSoBe in Calatagan, Batangas, shared that this award is very important to them as their company is very selective about the awards they join. “It is a big deal for us to be able to win in the Asia Pacific Property Awards and we are very proud to represent the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. [For our company] let's just build boxes, they are iconic buildings. I really think it was the buildings that caught the judges' attention [as] the Nautilus was designed as a sailing ship, and was inspired by Captain Nemo's ship in Jules Verne's 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Besides, it is a very sustainable building. We harvest rainwater; double taps, where we use recycled water to flush the toilets. There are many sustainable features within. We are very proud of the progress we have made.” When asked how GROHE fulfills its product promise to its customers, Manzano shared, “We build residential units, [and] when people live in a place what is most important? What you see, smell, and hear. Those are the most important things. Now GROHE fits more into that mold, it's of the best quality.”

Another big winner that night was Arthaland at its Una Apartments in Binan, Laguna. The representative of the company that night was Architect Samantha Pobre who shared that, “For us, the most prestigious award we have ever received is anything for sustainability and this particular award from IPA is very special for us because it belongs to Una Apartments, which we have built for the middle market, which means it is more affordable, so having a sustainability award is a symbol of all the few, not just sustainability to show the few. In this project, to set it apart from many others as very few get it.” At Arthaland, we have never set ourselves the chance to be the biggest developer in the country or anywhere in the world but we pride ourselves on being the best, so getting the American Standard for Una Apartments shows that it is in line with our vision in sustainability.

Other winners were Avida Land, Federal Land NRE Global, Inc., Filinvest Land Inc., Italpinas, LPPA Design Group/Taft Properties, REMAX Philippines, Shang Properties, Inc., SM Development Corporation, White Jacket Pte Ltd.

Empowering a Future Vision

In her congratulatory message, Audrey Yeo emphasized that recognizing these special projects at the local level provides a clear path from local success to global levels, promoting sustainable development and fostering a spirit of cooperation among stakeholders. By proving that Philippine architecture can stand tall in the international arena, the event has successfully injected new momentum into the local real estate sector.

Through programs like the IPA Thanksgiving Dinner, LIXIL continues to strengthen its role not only as a product supplier, but as an important participant in Building Tomorrow, empowering Filipino engineers to design future-ready, sustainable, and globally competitive communities.

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