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Dorado Beach Resort, Su Casa East Room. Copyright of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The redevelopment of the Dorado Beach Resort, located outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was an opportunity to build upon Laurence S. Rockefeller’s environmental legacy and preserve the landscape of the site. Terrapin worked with the resort owner, Caribbean Properties Group, to integrate sustainability into the resort’s infrastructure, the construction of two new hotels, and the renovation of an environmental education center, helping the client leverage the growing interest in sustainable development and travel experiences. Our recommendations focused on issues of energy efficiency and on-site generation, transportation, and integrated water management, with the goal of improving the functioning of the property while reducing operating costs. The project included the launch of a new hotel brand—the Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

The project’s Environmental Opportunities Charrette and resulting recommendations focused on issues of energy efficiency and on-site generation, transportation, and integrated water management, with the goal of improving the functioning of the property while reducing operating costs. This included strategies for improving the energy efficiencies of the hospital facilities. Energy solutions included on-site power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide reliable power supply during intermittent blackouts, as well as strategies for taking advantage of the resort’s mixed residential and retail uses. Related to water management, the most important considerations included site drainage, stormwater capture and reuse, and more efficient wastewater treatment. A Water Balance analysis – tracking all water sources and sinks on the property – was recommended as a tool for improved decision-making. In addition, the team recommended that the Dorado Beach Resort disconnect from the municipal wastewater treatment plant to realize cost savings and efficiencies from decentralized, on-site, biological treatment systems.

*Header and feature images copyright of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

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