Larimar Inside | Construction Progress at Larimar City: Interview with Pablo Hinojosa

The transformation of a city begins long before the buildings start to rise. Beneath the surface unfolds an intense effort of planning, engineering, earthworks and infrastructure that makes it possible to turn an ambitious project into reality.

In this new edition of Larimar City and its construction updates, we talk with Pablo Hinojosa, Director of Construction at CLERHP, to learn about the current status of the works in the first phase of Larimar City, the progress on the main residential projects, the evolution of the golf course and the figures that reflect the scale of one of the most ambitious urban developments in the Caribbean.

The current status of phase 1

Pablo, when we talk about the progress of Larimar City we usually show buildings starting to rise, but behind those images there is an enormous amount of preparatory work that often goes unnoticed. Where does phase 1 of the project stand today?

That’s right. The visible part comes when the structures begin to go up, but before that there is an enormous amount of planning, engineering and site preparation. The initial phase of the Larimar City & Resort project spans an area of approximately one million square metres, and over the last few months the effort has focused precisely on preparing that entire surface so we can develop the various residential projects, the golf course and the infrastructure that will make up this first stage of the city.

It has been a task of enormous coordination between the Construction, Engineering, Projects and Production departments, which is now beginning to translate into a much more visible picture for our clients.

Prime Towers, Breeze Towers, Horizon View and Paradise Towers

Let’s start with Prime Towers, one of the most advanced projects.

At Prime Towers we have already extracted approximately 90,000 cubic metres of rock, and the four towers are currently progressing at different slab levels. It is one of the projects where the vertical evolution of the four towers can already be clearly seen.

What is the situation at Breeze Towers?

At Breeze Towers we have just finished extracting approximately 80,000 cubic metres of rock. Two of the three planned cranes have already been installed and we are now starting to pour the fill concrete, to be followed by the blinding concrete. Very soon we will also begin the first slabs and start to see the project rise.

Horizon View has also involved significant earthworks.

That’s right. At Horizon View we have excavated approximately 140,000 cubic metres of rock. Once the final design adjustments are completed, we will begin installing the cranes to start the next construction phase.

And what about Paradise Towers?

Paradise Towers will require an excavation of close to 70,000 cubic metres of rock. We have already carried out the first two blasts and will progressively perform the rest until we complete all the excavation needed to subsequently begin construction of the project.

The residential developments of the first phase

In addition to the large towers, phase 1 includes numerous residential developments.

Correct. Most of the residential projects in this first phase are developed on plots of approximately 100 by 100 metres, that is, around 10,000 square metres per project. That dimension gives an idea of the scale we are working on.

In total, we are working on approximately 16 residential plots, representing close to 180,000 square metres.

The blasting has already been carried out on all of them. We wanted to bring this work forward because, once Prime Towers continues to rise in height, it would be much more complex to carry out this type of operation without interfering with the rest of the site.

We will now progressively undertake the excavation and rock extraction to prepare the start of all those residential developments.

The golf course and the Mucaribe area

Another of the project’s major highlights will be the golf course. How is that work progressing?

The development of the golf course is progressing according to the planned schedule. Golf 1 and Golf 2 correspond to the first nine holes that phase 1 of Larimar City will have, an amenity that will be one of the project’s great differentiating features.

At Golf 1 we have already completed the shaping of holes 7, 4, 5 and 6. In the coming weeks we will begin shaping holes 3, 8 and 2, corresponding to Golf 2, thus continuing the development of the first nine holes.

In addition, we will shortly begin a very important new phase with the installation of the entire irrigation network, pipes and drainage for these first nine holes, infrastructure that is essential for their proper operation.

In parallel, the Mucaribe project also continues under way and is part of this significant progress across the entire golf area.

In that same area we also find several residential projects.

Exactly. There we are developing several residential projects such as Sunset Residence, with 48 homes; Townhouses, with 40 units; Aston Residence, with approximately 78 homes, plus around 50 villas, of which 12 are already under construction.

In most of these projects the blasting and the blinding concrete slabs have already been completed. At Townhouses, twenty units are already under construction and the other twenty have the blinding concrete ready to begin their execution. Sunset Residence continues to advance with the excavations, and the future Hotel Aston has likewise already completed the blasting and excavation work.

The figures that reflect the scale of the project

If you had to summarise all this work in figures, what scale are we dealing with in this initial phase?

We are talking about really significant figures. To date we have excavated and extracted approximately 300,000 cubic metres of rock; to give an idea, that is comparable to the entire interior volume of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.

We have also carried out blasting over an area of close to 360,000 square metres (which, as a graphic example, would be equivalent to 50 FIFA football pitches), an expanse that will progressively be excavated to make way for the development of the new residential projects.

Overall, we can say that close to one million square metres have already been worked on within this first construction phase of Larimar City, if we include the roads and other areas such as the promenade, the hotel zones, and so on.

It is work that has perhaps not been especially eye-catching because, over these months, most of the effort has taken place below the surface: blasting, excavations, earthworks, preparing the land for basic services, extracting materials and the technical coordination of numerous teams. But it was an essential phase in order to now begin the part we are all waiting to see.

The most visible transformation of Larimar City

In other words, the most visible transformation of Larimar City now begins.

Exactly. All that preparatory work now allows us to take on the most exciting phase, which is seeing the buildings begin to rise and Larimar City start to take on the image of the city we all imagine.

Behind this progress there is an enormous effort of planning and coordination between the Construction, Engineering, Projects and Production teams at CLERHP, together with the leadership of Pedro Romero, who is directing the execution of a project of extraordinary scale. From now on we will start to see the result of all that work carried out over the past few months.

We would like to thank Pablo Hinojosa, Director of Construction at CLERHP, for the time he devoted to sharing with us the current status of the works and the enormous effort behind every advance at Larimar City.

Our aim with this interview is to bring clients, investors and followers closer to a reality that is often not visible. Before the buildings begin to rise and the tower slabs are built, there is an essential phase of planning, blasting, excavations, earthworks, infrastructure and site preparation that requires months of work and extraordinary technical coordination.

We believe that understanding this process makes it possible to appreciate the true scale of the project and to understand that every visible advance is the result of significant prior effort by the Construction, Engineering, Projects and Production teams at CLERHP. We will continue to share, step by step, the evolution of Larimar City so that our clients can see first-hand how the city is taking shape until it becomes the reality we will all soon be able to enjoy.

Watch the full interview on video

We invite you to discover in images the current status of the works at Larimar City & Resort and all the details Pablo Hinojosa shares about the progress of phase 1.

Watch the full interview on YouTube