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A 3D Printed Smart Village from Chocolate Waste

Valentino Gareri Atelier has designed The Cacao Eco Village, a modular and sustainable village in Ecuador made from 3d printed cacao waste with construction set to begin this year for the chocolate manufacturer and social entrepreneur Carolina Pozo who produce Muze Cacao.

The Chocolate Factory at the Village

Valentino Gareri Atelier has designed for Ecuadorian chocolate manufacturer  MUZE Cacao and non-profit organization Avanti the first of a global network of sustainable and smart villages; a carbon-neutral destination and innovation center for circular economy in the cacao industry.

The Cacao Ecovillage will be built in Pedernales, a county in the coastal province of Manabi, Ecuador, where the cacao farmers and families work and live.  This beachside destination – almost right in the middle of the world — known for its unspoiled panoramic beaches with great year-long weather, archeology, folklore, and an outstanding culinary tradition.

This new asset class of sustainable and smart infrastructure emerges as a solution for the environmental and social impact of the cacao industry, using a circular economy model as a creative solution for reducing environmental footprint, generating increased income, reducing resource dependency, and minimising waste.

The Cacao Village

The president and social entrepreneur of Muze Cacao, Caroline Pozo explains that when cocoa is harvested, only 20% is used and 80% is wasted. Items such as cob, slime, and others are discarded. “We have focused on cocoa as a raw material for chocolate and we have not seen that the waste can end up in products in order to generate new sources of income for new entrepreneurs.”

The Events Centre at the Village

That is why Pozo devised CacaoVillage, a physical space where researchers, producers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, etc. participate around cocoa. “The idea is that leather, construction materials, cosmetics, medicines can be made there. It is an eye-opener taking advantage of this fruit of which Ecuador is a world power”.

The Events Centre Entry

Working on this idea, architect Valentino Gareri worked on a model which makes use of the byproducts and puts them to use in construction or in architecture. ‘We have pushed the circular economy core principles so much that they informed the design philosophy of the entire project. The cacao waste, a result of the chocolate production process, will be re-utilised for 3d-printing parts of the village. Waste is not only turned into a resource but into architecture.  In the not-too-distant future, we will be able to design buildings entirely made of natural materials and recycle them at the end of their life cycle in order either to create new ones or return them back to nature,” says Valentino Gareri.

 The sustainable architectural design behind Cacao Eco Village incorporates five core principles: Modular: extendable, replicable, and adaptable to different sites, dimensions, and geometries. Functional: the village will operate as a cacao processing, chocolate factory, educational and research center, co-living, co-working, and cultural reference point to the local community and a conscious tourism destination. Sustainable: Energy self-sufficient village (rainwater collection and solar energy, natural ventilation and built from local materials such as bamboo, timber, and 3D printed structures made of cacao shell waste biofilaments). Tech-enabled: using blockchain, IoT, and NFTs and connected to the local community and traditions.

 All the buildings are made of local and natural materials. The facades draw inspiration from the wide range of multi-coloured Ecuadorian houses and from the cacao trees colourful fruits. The form of the buildings facilitates the rainwater collection: the water tanks are integrated into the roofs, whose shape draws inspiration from the local Ecuadorian art patterns.

The Village is provided with a dense network of cycle-pedestrian boulevards, and the use of electric vehicles is highly encouraged with the presence of electric charging stations, while the cars and trucks transits are limited only around the Factory and Production area.

This new asset class of sustainable and smart infrastructure emerges as a solution for the environmental and social impact of the cacao industry, using a circular economy model as a creative solution for reducing environmental footprint, generating increased income, reducing resource dependency, and minimising waste.

The site, whose construction will begin this year with an investment of US$15 million and will occupy about six hectares, will have a space for researchers, a convention center, lodging, its own orchards, and a restaurant. “Everything will be sustainable, with solar panels, rainwater collection, taking advantage of cocoa waste.”

MUZE Cacao’s mission is to create new ethical cacao-based products using the most out of the fruit These highly traceable products will reduce waste and offset carbon footprint while lifting farmers and their families out of poverty to integrate them into the global supply chain.

Cacao Ecovillage will be the ‘Silicon Valley’ for circular economy innovators; a space for inventions and a testing ground for AgTech, FinTech, FoodTech, startups, and companies; manufacturers, producers, and researchers. A destination and co-living space for change-makers to connect, co-create, get inspired, and ignite social impact, believe the creators.

CREDITS

Architectural Design: Valentino Gareri Atelier  I  @valentinogareriatelier

Client: MUZE Cacao I Avanti