Sustainable design
Work has begun on an ecopark on the east coast of Vietnam, Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off its first all electric vehicle, and a resort in Aruba has become the first hotel on the Caribbean to achieve carbon neutrality.
Site work is underway on the Mui Dinh Ecopark, a 728-hectare development on the east coast of Vietnam that will become home to six resort hotels, a boutique hotel and 500 private mountain villas.
Designed by Chapman Taylor, the vast government-approved project will also become home to an ecopark which will act as an educational resource where new residents and visitors learn about the local habitat and ecosystem.
Great care has been taken to build sustainability principles into the design, as Chapman Taylor’s South East Asia Director Oscar Martinez made clear.
He said: “We carried out a thorough analysis straight away, to establish how many hours of sunshine the site receives throughout the year, what changes occur with each season and between day and night, how the humidity varies, what temperatures to expect, rain periods, etc.
“We established how the tides worked, how the dunes were formed and the ways in which the winds acted. And all that information and analysis helped us to deliver a design that is fully adapted to this ecosystem and performs better, naturally, at a lower cost.
“We used the wind directions for integrating cross-ventilation throughout the buildings, and placed bodies of water strategically in the landscape to help cool down the temperature.
“The building positions were arranged to create shaded areas during peak temperature times of the day; rainwater harvesting was integrated into the landscape to be used during dry months; and grey water will be reused, especially in the hospitality components, to reduce the environmental impact of tourism.
“The recycling of waste and the use of local materials will reduce the carbon footprint; and the use of renewable energies will reduce power consumption.”
The project will also feature a theme park, beach club and mountain clubhouse.