James Hardie, a world leader in building materials, has proven its excellence once again when it bagged four awards from the first-ever Architects’ Choice Awards 2014, organized by BCI Asia last March 27 at the Marriott Hotel.

Its flagship brand, HardieFlex, was adjudged the Architects' Choice for the Cement Boards product category. James Hardie also received awards for being the leading brand in "Design and Innovation", "Performance" and "Customer Service" in the Philippine design and building industry.

Receiving the awards for James Hardie were Product Marketing Assistant Manager Rome Lopez, Sales Manager Romy Silawan, Sales Consultant Karina Arellano and Market Development Officer Deb Gutierrez.

"We are very happy and honored to have received four awards," says Lopez. "These awards serve as a true testament of our insatiable drive to develop innovative building materials that will help Filipinos to live without compromise."

The winners garnered the most number of votes based on a survey conducted by BCI Asia across a broad spectrum of architects and planners including the top 10 architectural firms in the Philippines.

Through the survey, respondents were able to cast their votes for the best in each product category, and declare their brand of choice when it comes to Design and Innovation, Sustainability, Performance, and Customer Service.

Aside from the 20 product category awards (segmented under Wall & Ceiling Lining, Mechanical & Electrical Fittings, Bathroom Products, Interior Furnishings & Appliances, Interior Finishing, Floor Coverings, and Enclosure Fit outs) that were given out, there were four Feature Awards of which James Hardie won three.

“We extend our sincerest thanks to the architects who have voted for us,” says Gutierrez. “We are grateful for their trust and we will strive continuously to remain deserving of their patronage.”

The leading worldwide manufacturer of fiber cement products, James Hardie has operations in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Core markets include North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

In 1998, it built its manufacturing plant in the Philippines in Cabuyao, Laguna which now serves local and international demands. To date, James Hardie remains as one of the biggest Australian investments in the country.

For 125 years, James Hardie, through the HardieFlex brand, has produced durable, versatile and strong products that offer a real alternative to traditional building materials. Today, the company employs more than 2,500 employees and has a turnover in excess of Euro 1 billion.

James Hardie prides itself with its aggressive investment in research and development that allows it to continuously expand its product offering and improve the quality of its fiber cement technology and solutions.