Going Green in the Mexican Desert

written by Michael Novak

First of all, I have to tell you that it had never been my intention to become a resort residential developer in Mexico, let alone a GREEN one. This journey has been as surprising and delightful for me, as I truly hope the end result – Pueblo Nuevo – is for you.

For the last fifteen years, I have been an independent consultant in the international resort development industry. Working with developers of all types and sizes, I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in some unique and exciting projects. From the Flathead Lake in Montana to the Mississippi River Valley of Missouri. From George Town, Grand Cayman to Koh Samui, Thailand. From Whistler to . . . well . . . here, I have had a wonderful time helping a great group of people bring new and innovative resort and recreational product to the marketplace. Along the way, however, I began to become concerned with what impact we were having on both the immediate environment, physically and culturally; and on the overall impact of the recreational property development industry on the beautiful places in which we were building. One of the world’s leading architects once referred to Third World resort development as the “Canadian Disease”, partly because so many of us – yes, I am a Canadian – are doing it and the, at times, negative aspect of the developments in question. Specifically, the proliferation of high-rise condo towers crowded along the shoreline in so many of these wonderful resort areas.

Finally, having just been involved in such a project in the Los Cabos area of Baja California, I took a step back and asked myself what I would do if I were the actual developer and not just a “hired gun”. Being perfectly honest with myself, I had to admit that I would not do a development like the one I had recently finished. Knowing how much trouble I have had over the years trying to get my clients to accept some of the alternative ideas I had put forward for their developments, I pretty much knew that I was not likely to get much support for throwing the whole traditional resort project “baby” out with the standard design and construction “bathwater”, I had to finally make the decision to become a developer – putting my money where my mouth is – or find something else to do to pay the rent.

The first step was to find a place to try and put these ideas into practice. It needed to be vibrant enough to offer both investors and purchasers what they required and yet still be “new” enough to allow for the introduction of some of the more unusual ideas that were floating around in my head. The obvious spot, surprisingly enough, was both easy to identify and even easier to justify. Puerto Peñasco is an amazing location. Close enough to the southwestern United States to provide quick and easy access to a large population base, and yet still far enough away from El Norte to retain that delightful Mexican atmosphere so many of us have come to know and love.

Sadly, however, there was already a considerable amount of traditional resort development activity underway. High-rise condo towers sitting side by side along the beach, as painful to the “soul” as they are offensive to the eye, but valuable . . . if we can be even a little charitable . . . if only for having brought the area to the attention of the marketplace. So it was to Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point as it is called by most who know it from the “old days” of Spring Break getaways, that I came to see if anyone was ready for something a little different in the world of resort residential development.

I knew what I wanted to achieve in general. Having lived in a number of homes in Mexico during my years as a consultant – Rocky Point is my fifth location in Mexico – I knew what I did NOT want to build. The uninsulated concrete block construction that is the standard in this area was simply not going to work for this development – not that it actually works all that well for any development – but certainly not if we were going to bring a new perspective to the industry here. The construction system had to be both energy efficient, and simple to construct. It had to provide superior structural integrity, and the healthiest and safest living environment possible. Oh, and it had to be affordable – or, at the very least, competitive – for the purchaser. Sounds simple, but it turned out to be one of the biggest challenges so far.

After investigating and evaluating a number of systems, we finally discovered what we believe is the best combination of all that we felt was necessary. Energy efficient, easy to construct, reasonably priced and, perhaps most important of all, readily available to us, Structural Insulated Panel technology is not new. It has been around in one form or another since the Second World War. It is, however, just now coming into its renaissance. With more people beginning to demand both high levels of energy efficiency and reasonable construction budget and time constraints, SIPs are becoming more widely understood and accepted. I have long been a fan, but had never had the opportunity to include this type of construction methodology in any of the other projects on which I have worked. Soon after having made the decision as to the “type” of construction system we intended to use, I was introduced to a wonderful company in the SIP industry. Based out of Calgary, Canada – no, it is not just because they are also Canadian – they are both fiercely determined to bring this technology to the marketplace, and seriously interested in introducing it into the growing market of Mexico. The proverbial “marriage made in heaven” for us both.

While all of this was happening, something unusual began to occur in my own perception of what we were trying to achieve. Originally intending to simply try and bring better – energy efficient, healthier, safer, etc. – construction techniques to the world of resort development, it became very apparent that it could not just stop there. I had discovered that building “green” was more than just the building; it was everything that went inside and around it. So, we added a complete grey-water recycling plan to our original landscaping design. We also changed that design to focus on drought resistant plants that demand less water, yet still provide indescribable beauty. Solar powered LED street and recreation area lighting. Solar powered heaters for the swimming pools. Tankless instant delivery water heaters. Front loading washing machines. Dual stage reverse cycle HVAC systems. Thermal pane low E windows and patio doors. Etc. Etc. Etc.

As I stated in my opening sentence, this has been quite the “journey”. And now we are ready to bring our “baby” out to meet the neighbors. Pueblo Nuevo is a reality. Infrastructure construction is underway and we are about to build our first homes. We have been able to bring together a spectacular group of suppliers and associates – many of whom had been waiting for an opportunity to become involved in just such a project – and we are now ready to encourage you to come take a look at what we are doing here in the Sonoran Desert of Northern Mexico. I would like to personally invite you to investigate what we are doing, and what it might mean to you and your family. Unlike many of the developers for whom I previously worked – who would avoid at all costs coming into contact with a real live potential customer – I would be delighted to make myself available to you, at any time, to answer your questions and explain in greater detail just what it is that makes Pueblo Nuevo so special. This is only the first of a number of developments that we intend to do here in Mexico – each one unique in its own special way – and only the start of our journey – perhaps together – down this “green” road to a better way of resort and recreational development.