The beauty of Mexico’s beachfront and the versatility of 3D printing will soon culminate in a new and purportedly sustainable—yet highly luxurious—resort. To be built along the ocean line of Todos Santos, situated in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, Habitas Todos Santos will be developed over 24 coastal acres by Habitas.
The Tulum, Mexico-headquartered company was founded in 2016 by Oliver Ripley (CEO), Eduardo Castillo, and Kfir Levy. By the next year, they had begun construction on Habitas Tulum, featuring 35 hotel rooms on a private beach “in between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea.” Their next venture included a hotel venture into South Africa with Habitas Namibia, built on a 47,000 acre nature reserve.
Habitas Todos Santos will be a continuation of the progressive Habitas construction model as they 3D print the main structural components in their own factory, and then assemble on-site.
Villa rendering at Habitas Todos Santos (Image: Habitas)
The Habitas team claims to focus on using sustainable materials, avoiding environmental impact, and training and employing locals to subsist in their “sustainable micro-economies.”
“We are able to truly be sustainable after we build from the materials that we choose, and trying to minimize any permanent structure,” says Ripley.
For construction, they rely on laminated lumber and beams, and for every tree that is cut down for construction, they replace it within the local community. The Namibia property is considered completely “off the grid,” with water provided from a well using Tesla solar batteries that are able to bring in 30,000 liters of water daily (translating to almost 8,000 gallons).
Poolside (Image: Habitas)
Furniture and food for their hotels are purchased locally, continuing a highly positive economic trend—and one that Ripley explained was quite humbling too:
“We’re going into the local communities and resourcing our teams from there. We set up a pop-up school in each location, and we take them through a training program and employ them because at the end of the day we want to be welcomed into somebody’s home and somebody who’s local. So we’ve now made a commitment that every single project we have is going to be the foundation for creating sustainable, viable economies.”
The 80-room Habitas Todos Santos will feature the following:
- Oceanfront pool
- Farm-to-table restaurant
- Holistic spa
- Organic herb garden
- Guest programs to include diving, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and surfing, and sound meditation
The factory is set up on the Mexican east coast, allowing for the initial modular production of 3D printed parts which are then shipped to the site in containers. Ultimately, Ripley likens the onsite construction to putting together Legos—and with their streamlined assembly, he projects that Todos Santos will take less than four months to complete.
Five new hotels are slated for Mexico in the future, as well as one in Costa Rica, the Middle East, and several in Bhutan (South Asia). Find out more about 3D printing in construction, whether you are curious about other hotels, or residences, and materials used.
Habitas Todos Santos aerial view (Image: Habitas)