The
programme includes one hotel with a capacity of one hundred rooms and
a residential
complex
consisting of three main buildings housing forty individual villas.
The
project sets a standard of excellence in terms of sustainable
development for Albaniaand
acts as a catalyst for future projects within the area in which it is
situated.
The
design of the complex goes above and beyond various building
regulations to ensure a
responsible
development of the area. In this area the maximum possible
development of ground area according to regulations, is 35% whereas
the tourist complex only develops 18% as built ground area, and
maintains a three storey height throughout.
The
lower density maintains a larger area as natural landscape ensuring a
lowerenvironmental
impact.
The
project is situated 350 meters away from the water's edge as opposed
to the 300 meters limit imposed by European legislature. The decision
to build further from the water's edge avoids the removal of local
vegetation and the reduction of ground drainage which would otherwise
adversely affect the local natural environment through erosion of the
beach and deterioration of the dunes as can be seen in numerous
precedent speculative development in southern Italy and Spain.
The
design of the tourist complex involves the removal of 60 trees but
220 will be planted,
as
opposed to 180 according to local legislature.
The
selection of vegetation to be planted was considered through
consultancy with Albanian botanists to ensure the insertion of only
native species thus amplifying the already established natural
environment and maintaining a high level of biodiversity.
The
buildings within the project are to be constructed on raised
platforms creating a muchsmaller
footprint on the ground, maintaining local topography and ensuring
better ground
drainage.
Solar panels occupying the full area of the roof provide an energy
saving solution to the
large
amounts of hot water needed by the hotel and spa which are functional
all year round.
Due
to the lack of waste water management infrastructure in the area, the
project includes
a
dedicated water purification system. Waste water produced by the
complex is recycled and used for irrigation of the area after a
process of organic nutrient and mineral enrichment.
To
further mitigate the need for irrigation, the complex also includes a
system of rain water
collection,
storage and distribution. The complex also operates as a seawater
desalination plant to provide drinking water using the water table as
a source.
Further
energy savings are made through the use of solar powered illumination
for outdoor
areas,
careful use of shading devices to mitigate the use of air
conditioning during summer
and
the use of highly insulated wall construction, such as Poroton, to
reduce the need for
heating
in winter.
The
project employs a general eco-marketing approach that allows for a
lower exploitation
of
the ground area and lower density but ensuring an increased
real-estate value providing
both
environmental and economic benefits for the investor.
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