AusLeisure

Global mega lagoon developer Crystal Lagoons has established Australian operations, highlighting how its 'pulse oxidation' water cleaning system can be at the heart of the transformation of the residential real estate landscape.

Since it was established eight years ago, Crystal Lagoons has 300 projects in development in both residential and hotel settings, including a 12 hectare lagoon at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, which set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest man-made lagoon.

Through its ground-breaking technology Crystal Lagoons has the ability to bring waterfront amenity to inland areas of major cities and regions, contributing to the development of urban populated areas away from coastal areas.

Oceania Regional Director Germàn Rocca said that negotiations were in play for 30 projects in Australia, worth a combined total of $80 billion, with developers recognising the potential of a crystalline lagoon to generate more real estate value than any other amenity at very low cost.

Rocca stated “Crystal Lagoons has revolutionised the real estate market in every country it has entered and we believe the technology will have just as great an impact in Australia.

“It brings waterfront amenity to inland areas of major cities and regions and in some coastal areas it will help solve the problem of pollution, jellyfish, sharks and dangerous currents.

“Australians love the water but the coastline of major cities has been virtually built out and the real estate is very expensive.

“Crystal Lagoons’ technology allows developers of residential real estate and tourist facilities to create crystalline lagoons for swimming and water sport in any location and with any type of water, including fresh, salt and brackish, which has no other use. This makes it useful even in those areas that suffer from a lack of water.

“It has already proven its worth in multiple locations across the globe, from medium sized residential developments to mini-cities in the Middle East. It has taken over from golf courses as the world’s top amenity, providing recreation for the whole family and wider community at a much lower cost.

“Since we built our first Crystal Lagoon we have seen how the inclusion of waterfront amenity can add value to marginal land and in fact turn around distressed assets. It has also permitted increased densities which can completely change the feasibility of a project.”

Rocca sees that Australia’s growing population meant that governments and private developers are increasingly looking to build new cities in greenfield sites sometimes lacking in natural amenity.

He explains “amenity is the crucial element that will determine the success of new developments whether it is on a scale of 500 people or 20,000 people.

“Australia is a large continent but much of it is considered uninhabitable due to the absence of water. Our technology opens up land that would not previously have been considered attractive for residential or tourist development, at low cost and using a fraction of the water required to maintain a park or golf course.”

In the years since the company’s foundation, worldwide demand for the technology has grown exponentially. Within a year of its entry into the North American market, the multinational had 12 projects under development. A further 44 projects are in negotiation with an estimated value exceeding US$46 billion.

The benefits of Crystal Lagoons’ technology go further than creating a value add amenity to real estate.

The company’s Sharm El Sheikh mega lagoon has been built in the middle of the desert on land once considered unusable – and now transformed into a tropical oasis that integrates a desalination process to provide potable water for the complex.

This demonstrates that today, Crystal lagoons' technology is focused on solving one of humanity's most stringent problems, global water shortage.

Rocca adds “cities such as Sydney and Melbourne have limited areas in which to develop and they are reaching further inland away from the coast.

“An amenity such as a crystal clear lagoon gives a huge competitive edge to any developer particularly when it can be delivered at low cost and brings with it significant environmental benefits.”

In Australia, the company suggest that its technology will even help solve the problem of safe swimming in dangerous coastal areas and will add value to inland areas far from the coast.

A Crystal Lagoons statement adds “Crystal Lagoons offers the alternative of a crystalline lagoon of unlimited size that can transform an inhospitable place into one of infinite possibility.”

Key facts about Crystal Lagoons technology

Sustainable: Allows limited resources such as energy and water to be used efficiently and can use any type of water: salt, fresh or brackish water.

Low Water Consumption: Consumes up to half the water of a park of the same size and uses up to 30 times less water than a standard golf course.

Eco-friendly: Uses up to 100 times fewer chemicals than conventional swimming pool systems and consumes up to 2% of the energy needed by conventional filtration systems.

Safe: Fully complies with the most stringent international water-quality standards.

Remotely Monitored & Operated: All Crystal Lagoons are monitored and operated from a centralized location ensuring optimum water quality and an eco-friendly environment.

Contact German Rocca at Crystal Lagoons's Sydney office on email: infooceania@crystal-lagoons.com

Crystal Lagoons' projects were the subject of a feature in the July/August 2015 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

Images: The Crystal Lagoon at the Cabo San Lucas resort in Diamante, Mexico (top); Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (middle) and San Alfonso Del Mar, Chile (below).

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