The African continent has a big surprise in store, as Mozambique is set to become the first country in the world to have a 3D-printed resort.
Kisawa Sanctuary will be the first luxury result built with 3D printers and local natural elements, flying the flag for sustainability and preserving the local environment. 3D printers have amazed us in recent years for their ability to build similar style structures with more than impressive results and a reduction in production costs.
An innovative project
The resort, which opens on Benguerra Island in the summer of 2020, will make use sand and seawater along with other elements such as straw collected on the island and designs created by local artisans. All of these local elements, together with state-of-the-art 3D printing technology, will pave the way for the future of hotel complexes aiming to be part of the ecosystem and care for the environment.
The sand-based mortar is fed into 3D printing machines to build the walls and floors of the bungalows. After the completion of the sanctuary, the printers will then be used to print coral reefs and marine habitats to help the proliferation of marine fauna on the island.
The design aims to have the least possible impact on the local environment, which is spread across 300 hectares of pristine beaches, forest and sand dunes, and will be designed to adapt to the ecosystem. Benguerra Island is home to a myriad of land and water species that include five species of sea turtles, humpback whales, dugongs, whale sharks and over 150 species of birds, so the island needs to be safeguarded to reduce the resort’s impact on the local environment.
Luxury & sustainability is possible
The resort on the island will have 12 one, two and three-bedroom bungalows, each with its own beachfront area, swimming pool, outdoor kitchen and other amenities, and access to a spa, personal chefs, electric vehicles, marine safaris and a butler. Kisawa Sanctuary has an on-site farm to grow food that will be served to the guests, and it will add 1000 jobs to the local economy.
Kisawa was founded by Nina Flohr, a former executive at the private jet charter company VistaJet.