Sustainability & Durability

Sustainability

Building sustainably in the Turks & Caicos is a complex subject. Due to the rigorous building codes necessitated by annual potential exposure to tropical storms, the primary building material is concrete, which inherently carries a not-insignificant carbon footprint. It is estimated that the world's concrete industry contributes 7% of all manufactured carbon emissions globally. While we cannot mitigate the carbon footprint of concrete, we strive to offset and conserve energy and water in SKAPE projects wherever possible.

The climate and location of the Turks & Caicos mean an abundance of available solar energy. We highly encourage our clients to invest in solar arrays that can provide the villa with 85-100% of the energy it requires, with a fall-back to the grid. Solar energy collects during the day when the sun is at peak intensity and stores in robust grouped battery systems such as Tesla PowerWalls, which continue to provide energy during nightfall. Intermittent power disruptions are not uncommon in the Turks & Caicos, making a solar array of even more value during these events.

Water recapturing systems collect greywater from the household. Greywater is wastewater from any household source other than toilets. Greywater makes up roughly 60% of household wastewater. A greywater recycling system uses water primarily from showers and bathtubs. It can also capture water from utility sinks or wastewater from washing machines. Water collected from roof surfaces that are not walked on also feeds into this system, and they are treated and fed back into the reservoirs and used for landscape irrigation.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government has commissioned Florida-based Planning and Urban Design Consultancy firm EDSA Inc to prepare a 10-year National Physical Sustainable Development Plan. The Plan will update the expired 1987 National Physical Development plan. It will guide and direct future physical, social, and environmental development in the Islands. SKAPE is committed to staying ahead of the curve and incorporate leading-edge sustainable technologies into our projects wherever possible.

Durability

Turks and Caicos have one of the region's highest construction costs, according to BCQS International, as TCI's strict codes now meet or even exceed the standards of Florida. It's these strict building codes and our "over-and-above" building philosophy that ensure your SKAPE project will stand resolute in even the most fierce weather conditions that thankfully, are rarely experienced in the Turks & Caicos Islands in comparison to other Caribbean nations. On average, the islands are directly hit by one hurricane every seven years. In addition, one passes nearby approximately every two years. When the islands are affected by tropical storms, recovery begins swiftly and infrastructure repairs, where needed, progress rapidly to restore the islands to standard working order.

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