In The News

I’m often asked how I keep coming up with new ideas for Maho and Concordia. My answer: each innovation evolves from a previous one. Our quest for sustainability is a path that inevitably hits obstacles that require new solutions if we are to fulfill our ideal of resource sustainability. 

Our newest eco-resort, Estate Concordia Preserve, has been a hub of activity over the last several months constructing the first four of the fifteen Concordia Eco-Studios.  My quest for the ideal sustainable materials for the Caribbean climate remained illusive until one day I opened our large refrigerator. It was doing its job, keeping perishables cold and making ice while remaining quiet and energy efficient. Eureka! Why not construct a studio-sized area that is similar to a walk-in food locker?

A good idea, but how to realize it?  Here’s where green construction technology came to the rescue.  A green building company, Eco-Panels www.eco-panels.com, had already developed just the materials we needed, SIPS Sustainable Insulated Panel Systems. All new Concordia units are built with the SIPS panels containing 6 inches of foam between the outside plywood and the finished interior. The exteriors are wrapped with metal foil and then Hardi-planked for a tight seal.  All panels are pre-cut to minimize waste.

In addition, windows and doors are specially glazed, with an inert gas between the double panes to ensure a high insulation value. Yet they may be opened in pleasant weather so guests can enjoy the breezes and sound of the waves.  Our hope is that the units retain the cooler night air, especially during the summer.  If not, the super insulation will allow for energy efficient air conditioning if needed. 

We reviewed operations at the Maho Bay Trash to Treasure craft center to see if its products can be used in the new units. Concordia’s empty bottles are recycled and the Maho glass studio has created the light fixtures and soap dishes from the recycled glass. The counter tops in the kitchens and bathrooms of the units are formed with colorful crushed glass mixed with cement. Alone, just the counter tops in each unit re-use over 1000 individual bottles.  The Maho fabric studio has fashioned wall decorations made from recycled linens which are batiked with handcrafted designs. 

Now completed, the Eco-Studios are designed to qualify as Energy Star Rated Homes and are the first buildings to apply for certification by the Island Green Builders Association.  The innovations used in the Eco-Studios, in addition to the green techniques, have evolved during the past 35 years at eco-resort Maho Bay Camps and Harmony Studios. Some examples are site-sensitive construction, recycled building materials, elevated walkways, water and energy saving fixtures, solar hot water, photo voltaic cells, passive solar design, native plant landscaping and wildlife management.  The array of solar panels are part of the new grid tie that allows Concordia to sell back power to the VI energy company to make sure every kilowatt of power is utilized.

Concordia’s first four units are available for spring vacations.  I invite you to be the first to critique them, see http://concordiaecostudios.blogspot.com/or visit www.maho.org for additional information and reservations.  The site of the new units offers lush vegetation, breathtaking views and cool breezes. Additional units will be built in the near future.

We will be working hard to make Concordia a worthy heir to Maho, whose staff urges you to secure your reservations before the Camp’s lease expires in July, 2011.

All the best, Stanley Selengut