Accor Design Awards: Protecting the Oceans
Thursday 4 September —
15:00
- 15:45
The Talks — Hall 6
Description
Celebrating this year’s edition of the Accor Design Awards and its theme of ocean impact, this conversation looks at highlights from this year’s students projects shortlist, the partnership between Novotel and the WWF, and the direct positive environmental impacts design can have. Moderator Roddy Clarke will be joined by Bittor Sanchez-Monasterio, the Vice-President of Design for Midscale & Economy Brands at Accor and this year’s head judges, Isabel and Beatriz Blanco, the creative duo behind Spanish design studio Burondo.
Participants
Beatriz Blanco & Isabel BlancoCo-founder, Office Manager & Architect - Burondo
Bittor Sanchez-MonasterioGlobal Vice-President Design Midscale & Economy Brands, Accor
Roddy ClarkeJournalist
Beatriz Blanco & Isabel Blanco
Co-founder, Office Manager & Architect - Burondo
Founded in Madrid in 2018 by Isabel and Bea Blanco, Burondo is an architecture and interior design studio guided by emotion, material, and light. Both graduates of the University of Alicante and the Fachhochschule in Berlin, the founders have an artistic approach that blends timeless minimalism with sensory depth. Each project, from residential to hospitality, reflects a quiet and enduring aesthetic. The studio combines technical precision with subtle poetry, creating spaces that are sincere, elegant, and deeply human. In parallel, Isabel and Bea teach the technical and conceptual foundations of spatial design at IED, fostering a constant dialogue between theory and practice.
Bittor Sanchez-Monasterio
Global Vice-President Design Midscale & Economy Brands, Accor
Bittor Sanchez-Monasterio graduated as an Architect, Civil Engineer, Urbanist and Landscape Designer at E.T.S.A.B. in 2001 and started his career in Barcelona in major urban design projects. Then he moved to New York working on residential projects worldwide for Archi-Tectonics. In 2008, upon moving to Shanghai he joined Mada S.P.A.M. and in 2009, he launched ///byn Studio; a Design & Strategy platform. Bittor first joined Accor in 2017 as Latam Head of Design in Sao Paulo and in April 2020, Bittor was appointed Global Vice-President Design Midscale & Economy Brands in Paris. Bittor’s role consists in creating the Design Strategy that allows Accor hotels to offer the best guest experience and performance.
Roddy Clarke
Journalist
A graduate of Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Roddy Clarke is a design writer looking at the social and environmental impacts of design. With a background in restoration, Roddy covers topics such as circularity, responsible design, and the presence of traditional craft in a contemporary society. Contributing to titles such as The Financial Times and Forbes, Roddy also hosts and speaks across various industry events while also consulting with brands to help them navigate their way to a greener future through transparent and honest communication. Roddy also works as an interior stylist for a variety of brand-related projects.