What is the inspiration for your design?
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic on May 2021, the World Health Organization released a report stating that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, much like other viruses, is airborne. With this information, the best way to make a bathroom safe for its users is obvious: ensuring that the indoor air quality of the bathroom is up to standard. Since the designer used the bathroom of the Sirakan Villas of Sunlight Hotel & Resorts in Culion Island as a hypothetical space for the design, we did not need to look so far for inspiration. The native Calamian Tagbanwa culture already provides centuries-long proven solution on how to make an interior space appropriate to safeguard the health & wellbeing of the hotel’s target users. Using the Calamian Tagbanwa culture, resources & space planning as both a reference and the focal point of SIMOY creates the perfect balance between science, culture and interior design

Who is the target user and how does the design fulfill the need of the target user?
The bathroom is intended for a wide variety of guests of the resort, specifically for guests that are either on a business or leisure trip. This means that aside from the number of people who will use the space, the design for SIMOY also considers the different purposes, foot traffic, and accessibility of areas with regards to the anthropometrics of people with disabilities, elderly and children. Finishes and materials are also intended to ensure a non-slip, easy to maintain, and comfortable environment for bathroom users. Even with all these considerations, the design guarantees the wellbeing and privacy of the different people from all walks of life. For example, even though the shower area is exposed, the designer opted to use fluted glass framed with stainless steel which provides privacy but keeps the area feel open and well-lit with natural light

How does the design fulfill the theme for the chosen category?
Strategically located on the shores of Culion Island, the Sirakan Villas are not short of natural ventilation. In fact, Tagbanwa houses built centuries ago are known to not have any windows to maximize the air coming from different directions. Using this as reference, SIMOY is designed to not have any windows to allow cool sea breeze to pass through and get rid of unhealthy indoor air. The curved ceiling is intended to not just help in the efficient aerodynamics of air inside the space, but to also hide plumbing, lighting, ventilation and UV systems inside, echoing the design intent and inspiration. Curvilinear forms allow efficient flow of natural air to different areas, while also making the surfaces easy to clean and be disinfected by the hotel staff. In this sense, the resort bathroom becomes the centralizing space for different human needs and experiences.

How does the choice of products contribute to the purpose of the design?
The American Standard products available in the Philippines, specifically the Acacia Evolution, Acacia SupaSleek and EasySET collection, ensures that the bathroom design does not compromise on energy efficiency, maintenance and the overall experience of the users. For instance, the Acacia Supasleek Toilet enables maximum flushing with minimum water usage, making it highly water efficient and also easy to clean. It’s HygieneClean system Aqua Ceramic material prevents bacteria and viruses to foster. At the same time, the sleek and contemporary edges of the products in both the Acacia Evolution and Acacia Supasleek collections enable efficient cleaning of its surfaces.Aside from economic and ecological advantages, the products from the EasySet collection provides the best shower experience for the hotel guests. These allaround human-centric advantages of American Standard products truly provides a purposeful meaning to the bathroom design of SIMOY.