Dezeen promotion: BellTower has been revealed as the winner of the 2020 Lexus Design Award for its design project that could help emerging nations provide their citizens with clean water.
Kenyan studio BellTower's win marks the first time an African designer has ever won the coveted Lexus Design Award in its eight-year history.
Its winning project, named Open Source Communities, is an affordable structure developed for collecting and storing rainwater for safe drinking. It has been designed specifically for use in developing countries with the aim of helping these nations establish more sustainable communities.
Design studio BellTower was founded in Kenya in 2014
BellTower was founded in Kenya in 2014 by designers John Brian Kamau, Joyce Wairimu Gachiri, Ian Githegi Kamau, Esther Wanjiku Kamau and Arvin Booker Kamau. The team was selected ahead of five other finalists shortlisted for the prize, including US studio Sutherlin Santo, UK-based duo Théophile Peju and Salvatore Cicero, Chinese designer Yaokun Wu, Russian creative Irina Samoilova and Pakistani industrial designer Aqsa Ajmal.
BellTower's project was one of six finalists
The decision was made after all six finalists presented their work to this year's panel of judges, which included Paola Antonelli, Jeanne Gang, John Maeda, and Simon Humphries.
This process took place in a virtual venue due to the cancellation of Milan Design Week.
The judging criteria was based on the finalists' efforts to "anticipate, innova...