Terrazas De Coson Takes ‘eco-chic’ To New Heights

Feb. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- Samana, Dominican Republic  – When a new destination is discovered, developers must take care to preserve and protect the pristine environment that surrounds it.  What attracts tourists to the area of Samana are the natural wonders – lush foliage, rolling hillsides, white sand beaches, and natural waterfalls – and when they are not looked after they can fade into existence.  Valman, the European developers of Terrazas de Coson are well aware of the magnificence that surrounds their unique project, and they continue to make all efforts to ensure this community will enjoy its natural beauty for years to come.  

From the beginning, Valman was very clear that the villas would be designed to substantially decrease energy consumption.  In order to achieve this goal, they assembled a team of experts in eco-friendly design and construction to create the ultimate in earth-conscious luxury at Terrazas de Coson. GVA, the world renowned architectural firm together with Carlisle, world suppliers of environmentally responsible construction products, have joined forces to design a pristine “eco-chic” resort in Las Terrenas. Terrazas de Coson will have very little environmental impact – a difficult feat, while still upholding the maximum luxury and design home owners and vacationers look for.  

Starting with it’s location on the north coast of the Dominican Republic at an average altitude of 200 meters, a constant breeze off the Atlantic Ocean considerably minimizes the need for air conditioning as it helps to lower the humidity surrounding the tropical zone. Experts in integrating a project with its surrounding environment, GVA carefully studied the landscape before designing and positioning each villa to blend seamlessly into the surrounding ecosystem while maximizing the benefit of the sea breeze.  With generous interior space and air circulation, the expense of energy needed to reduce humidity and cool the air is greatly reduced.   Ideal for resort-projects where homes are only used during portions of the year, the air-conditioning can be adapted to the rooms being used, as well as what times or months the home is occupied. An additional bonus of its highly elevated position is that the lush foliage surrounding them will provide residents with the utmost in privacy, one of the key privileges presented in this magnificent hideaway.  

Another green component of Terrazas de Coson is the garden roofs incorporated by Carlisle. Carlisle supports the “Building Green” concept with key focus on promoting sustainable sites, protecting the atmosphere and conserving energy, materials and resources.  The green roofs will lessen the strain on community infrastructure, improve a bottom line through reduced energy costs and water bills and increase property values.  Terrazas de Coson chose Carlisle’s innovative garden tiled roofs because they were both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.  The roof gardens reduce urban heat island effects, improve air quality, manage storm water run-off, and provide efficient energy year-round, all while supplying residents and guests with a gorgeous rooftop full of vibrant plant life.  

In order to further minimize the community’s energy consumption, Terrazas de Coson has implemented solar panels with accumulators throughout the villas to capture energy from the sun and produce electricity.  The electricity generated is used in the filtration of the swimming pools as well as each villas’ outdoor lighting and garden sprinkler systems, powered at night by the accumulator that was charged during the day.  Similar energy efficient sources are used to light the communal pathways and entryways.  Hot water supply for the villas is largely produced by solar water heaters specially designed for Terrazas de Coson in order to achieve maximum energy efficiency.  With an abundance of water in the area, supply is not an issue; rather the maintenance of the water (pumping, transportation and treatment) is what incurs a large cost.  To counteract a high cost, Terrazas de Coson uses the Coson River, located on the property, to minimize the cost of transportation.  The water is then pumped from the river up to various tanks located at the top of the property and is distributed throughout the property by gravity.  For water treatment, Terrazas de Coson has developed their own completely eco-friendly treatment plant under the guidance of the Ministry of Tourism and Medio Ambiente, the national environmental authority. In addition, the rainwater reservoirs of each villa provided by the garden-tile roofs will be used to water the property gardens.

Terrazas de Coson is truly making strides to provide residents and guests with a luxurious and “eco-chic” lifestyle.  For more information visit www.terrazasdecoson.com or call 1.800.701.8414.



Media Contact: Megan Palmer, AMG PR WORKS
305.572.9883 x304 megan@americasmediagroup.com

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