MARAEY, the main sustainable tourist-residential development in Brazil, to be built in Maricá, has just claimed the U.S. Green Building Council 2021 USGBC Leadership Award Latin America. The project was praised for the high score it obtained by achieving precertification from the Sustainable SITES Initiative® (SITES) in the GOLD category, making it the first pre-certified mixed-use project in all of South America.

“It is a huge honour for us to win such an important award granted by the U.S. Green Building Council, the world’s top certifying body for sustainable communities and buildings, thanks to LEED and SITES certifications. This is a historical framework that bolsters our core principles and values geared towards environmental protection, inclusion of the area’s communities, and sustainable economic development,” says Emilio Izquierdo, CEO of the initiative.

Mr Izquierdo also pointed out that, along with other milestones, the MARAEY team will be delivering a ground-breaking project.

“As well as other significant achievements –such as the BIOSPHERE certification that turned MARAEY into the first privately-driven project in the world to get the seal, and having signed the United Nations Global Compact through the MARAEY AGENDA EESG 2030 looking to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)–, we will be implementing a unique and innovative project that should be a cause of pride for the municipality of Maricá, the State of Rio de Janeiro and also Brazil,” added the CEO.

El premio The USGBC Leadership Award The USGBC Leadership Award goes to outstanding projects and companies on the road to sustainability and so-called eco-friendly buildings. The award winners, who were announced during the USGBC Live opening event, are raising the bar in terms of enterprising projects and making communities more sustainable, healthy and resilient.

In MARAEY, for instance, using renewables was one of the key criteria considered when rating the project for SITES precertification. More than half of the electricity to be consumed in this vast project will be produced using renewable sources such as solar power, biogas and wind energy.

“This award acknowledges what MARAEY has achieved by becoming the first project to get SITES Gold precertification in the region. The way the undertaking is designed is proof of the team’s commitment to creating a sustainable and resilient experience that is good for the community,” explains Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO and Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council. “We believe that healthy people in healthy places lead to a healthy economy. Through the leadership of projects like MARAEY, we know that this vision can become a global reality. It will be an honour and a privilege to keep up our leadership in order to move forward in our collective mission to shape a sustainable future for all,” added Mr Ramanujam.

Perpetual preservation of a 440-hectare Private Restinga Reserve

Building on just 6.6% of land, MARAEY intends to preserve 81% of the project’s overall surface area and create the second-largest Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) of restinga forest in the State of Rio de Janeiro and the fifth in Brazil. Covering nearly 440 hectares, the RPPN will span almost half of the overall surface of MARAEY and will be fully and perpetually protected.

Another resource used to preserve wildlife is the degraded area environmental recovery programme, as well as a plan to rescue endangered species in a nursery. Following the project’s implementation, it is estimated that native vegetation will be restored in over 120 hectares of restinga forest compared to the situation prior to MARAEY.

55% of vehicles driven in the development aim to be electric or hybrid

The project’s values also include promoting the use of sustainable vehicles. The aim is for at least 55% of the fleet driven around the complex to be electric or hybrid vehicles. This will involve setting up an electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the entire complex. MARAEY will also feature the longest cycle lane in any private real estate development in Brazil, measuring 20 km long and joining up to the Maricá network to total 57.5 km altogether.

A smart city with various types of new houses

The undertaking plans to feature a variety of dwellings: apartment blocks, duplex homes and villas. Residents will enjoy homes built according to the highest quality and design standards, with vast recreational areas and the finest health, education, sports, leisure and business services. The project also ensures top-level security everywhere, including the local community of Zacarias.

MARAEY believes in the smart city philosophy, which means widespread implementation of information and communication technologies. Smart buildings and initiatives fostering a responsible use of natural resources help make a minimal impact on the environment. The local transport system will rely on electric models to keep CO2 emissions to a minimum. Plus, the complex will boast a series of electrical connection points, smart and eco-friendly lighting, bio-based materials, dynamic façades and green roofs.

About USGBC Leadership Award

The USGBC Leadership Awards presented by USGBC Live reward exemplary leadership shown in the past year by individuals and organisations who support ecological construction around the globe. The awards also acknowledge where hard work is done to create healthy and sustainable spaces.

USGBC Live is a new event combining the expertise of the largest community of leaders in ecological construction with data, know-how, stories and leadership from thousands of LEED projects (*) and sustainable initiatives worldwide. The aim is to spark relevant debates regarding the future of buildings, cities and communities. This three-day virtual event featured different content channels located in various regions in Europe and abroad hosting debates on innovative ways of promoting industry.

(*) LEED is a certification system for sustainable buildings developed by the non-government organisation United States Green Building Council in an effort to promote and foster sustainable construction practices in compliance with eco-friendly building criteria.

About Sustainable SITES Initiative® (SITES)

Sustainable SITES Initiative® or simply SITES® certification is managed by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and consists in the most comprehensive programme for designing, developing and maintaining sustainable environments.

The SITES credits system promotes best practice in ecological restoration, landscape architecture and other similar areas. The programme supports and restores the functions of healthy ecosystems, both in urban and rural areas. From plants and soils to water and materials, SITES improves communities through responsible design, enhancing the functions of buildings by means of affordable and environmentally-friendly solutions and creating a strong link between people and nature. SITES connects design with ecology and people with places.

SITES was developed through the collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the University of Texas’ Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin and the United States Botanic Garden.

About MARAEY

The tourist side of the undertaking will house four five-star hotels welcoming an average 300 thousand tourists per year: a magnificent eco-boutique resort, a luxury themed resort, a hotel designed to be the country’s most iconic seaside events venue, and MARAEY Golf Resort surrounding an internationally certified 18-hole golf course.

MARAEY is the world’s first private initiative to receive the BIOSPHERE seal in the “Sustainable Tourist Destination” category granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI), an organisation that emerged from a UNESCO memorandum of understanding. This certification furthers the project’s commitment to align with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the latest directives of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The development is also the first mixed-use complex in South America to achieve precertification from the Sustainable SITES Initiative in the GOLD category. Managed by Green Business Certification Inc., SITES is the world’s most widely recognised seal for the development of sustainable communities. Out of the criteria assessed, MARAEY earned credits for factors such as using renewable energy sources, water repurposing systems, sustainable mobility, preservation of native flora and fauna, and creation of an RPPN.

The project also plans to set up the María Esther Bueno Tennis & Sports Club, housing eight tennis courts including clay, grass and fast courts, making it the only sports club in Brazil to offer all three kinds found in the major international tournaments. Part of its revenue will go to social projects to drive social action in the surrounding municipalities through sport and education. MARAEY also includes an international hospitality university, making Maricá a hub for specialized training in Latin America.

The private investment forecast for the project is in order of R$ 11 billion, expecting R$ 7.2 billion to be collected in tax over the first 14 years (construction and consolidation of sales), followed by over R$ 1 billion per year once fully up and running. The economy of the State of Rio is predicted to warm up as 36 thousand jobs are created once MARAEY is in full operation.

There are around 200 fishing families living in the Zacarias community inside the area of the project who stand to gain from legalised land use and being given deeds of official ownership and residence. MARAEY will also foster the local culture and fishing with programmes to restore the Maricá Lagoon, recover native species, and bring back and raise awareness of the Zacarias family memory by creating the Craft Fisherman’s House.