Opening this September, Kisawa Sanctuary on Benguerra Island in Mozambique will be the world’s first ultra-luxury eco resort built using 3D-printed materials. Olivia Palamountain reports
Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique is redefining responsible travel quite literally from the ground up. In a purported world first, elements of this luxury retreat on Benguerra Island have been 3D printed in a sand and seawater mortar that fuses sustainability and tradition with technology.
Patented 3D sand-printing technology has been commissioned specifically for the project and used across various aspects of the build. The sand and seawater amalgamate provides a tactile, natural finish to the building façades and has also been used to generate 3D-printed components for flooring, tiling, and masonry.
A next-level environmentally conscious approach continues throughout the 740-acre property. Local artisans were commissioned to dress and furnish each of the 12 bungalows and the Kisawa Residence in a move that has created more than 1,000 jobs for the community – think carpentry details, textiles, thatched roofs and traditional Mozambican weavings.
Scheduled to open in September, Kisawa Sanctuary will offer guests maximum privacy, minimum disturbance and optimum appreciation for the natural environment. Each of the bungalows sits on its own one-acre beachfront plot, complete with a private swimming pool.
In addition to private dwellings, guests can also choose between multiple dining venues across the Kisawa Sanctuary. This includes two beach clubs, a lagoon-style swimming pool, the Barraca beach bar, a library and a lounge at the main terrace.
The stand-alone spa specialises in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic offerings with striking architecture inspired by the island’s thatched houses and community buildings.
At Kisawa there is no set schedule; guests decide their own agendas. Everything from dining hours, treatments and activities are customised to the needs of the individual.
Determined that Kisawa should be a conservation sanctuary first and a luxury retreat second, founder and creative director Nina Flohr has brought her vision for the resort to life in partnership with nonprofit sister organisation, the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies.
This facility is dedicated to the preservation of the local subtropical ecosystem, and will also benefit from Kisawa’s groundbreaking 3D-printing tech, manufacturing coral reefs to reinvigorate marine habitats.
Flohr says: “My mission for Kisawa is to create a level of hospitality and design that, to my knowledge, does not exist today, a place that inspires feelings of freedom and luxury born from nature, space and true privacy,” she said. “We have used design as a tool, not as a style, to ensure Kisawa is integrated, both culturally and environmentally into Mozambique.”
Rates start from £4,500 per night for a one-bedroom Bungalow including a dedicated team of staff, private chefs, all food and beverage, all wellness and spa, hotel activities such as diving and marine safari, plus your own electric vehicle and e-bikes to navigate the property.
What’s coming next? Trend reports available to download HERE
