7 eco-friendly features at Seafire

The Residences at Seafire and the adjacent Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa are on track to join the ranks of fewer than 200 resort-residential properties worldwide to achieve LEED® Silver Certification. This is a globally recognised building designation that recognises best-in-class sustainable design, building practices and operations. LEED® status can be difficult to obtain in the Cayman Islands, in part because the majority of building materials have to be imported.

Here are seven sustainable features that are integrated into the design and fit-out of The Residences at Seafire:

Use of recycled materials in construction

The Residences and the adjacent Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa occupies the site of a former Courtyard Marriott hotel. Once the former hotel was demised, the concrete rubble from the demolition was used as fill in the preparation of the site. Additionally, recycled glass from Dart Real Estate’s glass crushing facility was used as a component in the pavers at the hotel site.

Geothermal air-conditioning system

With average year-round temperatures of 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.5 degrees Celsius) in the Cayman Islands, air-conditioning is a must in the Cayman Islands. Seafire has the distinction of having the most efficient (of any multi-unit residential building) ground-source geothermal air conditioning system in the Cayman Islands, which provides significantly more energy-efficient cooling than traditional systems.

LED lightbulbs

Both the resort and The Residences use LED lights exclusively. LED bulbs last longer and require less maintenance than traditional lightbulbs and they release less heat energy, which in turn reduces demand on air-conditioning. Additionally, LED bulbs do not contain harmful mercury that is found in fluorescent bulbs.

Turtle-friendly outdoor lighting

All outdoor lighting near Seven Mile Beach at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, including lighting at the beach bar Coccoloba, is turtle-friendly; the lights are angled downwards to prevent rays from shining on the beach as nesting turtles and hatchlings confuse artificial light with the moonlight that directs them towards the sea.

Solar energy

Both the resort and The Residences generate electricity via a 143 KW solar array, one of the largest in the Cayman Islands.

Resort and residential buildings set back beyond the high water mark

With a generous 12-acre site, the design team was able to locate the resort and residences buildings east of the natural vegetation line. This allows for the beach’s natural dynamic movement, preventing beach erosion.

Landscaping and irrigation

No rainy day is wasted at Seafire. Several large cisterns exist solely to collect rainwater, which is then used to water the lush landscape of the resort grounds. Additionally a reverse osmosis system desalinates brackish groundwater to supplement the harvested rainwater for irrigation purposes. The landscaping design at Kimpton Seafire also makes extensive use of native plants that on average require less water than their exotic counterparts.

With sustainability in mind, The Residences at Seafire is a great place to purchase property if being eco-friendly is important to you. If you are interested in learning more, contact the team at Provenance Properties.

About the author

Sheline Chandi is the Senior Marketing Coordinator supporting Provenance Properties, the exclusive Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate in the Cayman Islands, representing luxury homes across Grand Cayman, including developer-owned properties including OLEA, the first for-sale residential project at Camana Bay, and The Residences at Seafire. A student of the world, Sheline has been educated in the US Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Florida and California, most recently obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from UCLA.