Benguerra Island, a small body of land off the coast of Mozambique in southeastern Africa, is about to become the site of an ambitiously-constructed luxury resort. Spread across 740 acres, Kisawa Sanctuary will feature 12 generously-sized bungalows, each of which will be set on a private acre of land with amenities including accessible beachfronts, swimming pools, massage huts, and extensively-shaded areas. In addition to the private areas, there will be four restaurants, tennis courts, water sports facilities, and two bars. The design of the buildings throughout the resort was inspired by traditional Mozambican dwellings and will be decorated and furnished with pieces made by local artisans.
Developed through a partnership between entrepreneur Nina Flohr and the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, a Mozambique-based nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the local subtropical ecosystem, Kisawa Sanctuary will be 3D-printed using a combination of local sand and seawater to reduce material waste on the site. To develop the structures for Kisawa, according to Condé Nast Traveler, “a computer-generated design is sent to a 3D printer, where it’s divvied up into layers. The printer’s nozzle then draws in the desired material—in the case of Kisawa, a sand-and-seawater mortar—and pipes it out to create the structure from the bottom up.”
Other elements on the site will be constructed with minimal waste to ensure the resort “has a light touch on the land but a deep engagement with nature” in an effort to compete with other eco-tourism destinations around the world, such as El Mangroove in Costa Rica and The Resort at Isla Palenque in Panama. “We’ve used design as a tool, not as a style,” Flohr explained to Traveler, “to ensure Kisawa is integrated, culturally and environmentally, to Mozambique.”
Construction of the resort is scheduled to be completed by the middle of next year, and staying there is expected to set visitors back a minimum of $8,124 USD per night.
