Cancun, Q.R. — A foundation in Cancun has made an agreement with BlueGreen to construct three buildings from sargassum bricks. On Wednesday, Marlyin Torres, head of the CISVAC Foundation, signed an agreement with BlueGreen head Omar Vázquez.
With the agreement, three buildings with a combined total of 128 beds will be constructed from sargassum-based bricks. The buildings will be used to help house foreign citizens in vulnerable conditions in the state of Quintana Roo.
Torres explained that families, men and women will be housed separately, explaining that the buildings will be a refuge to house everyone who comes to the state in search of a better future.
The buildings will be constructed on four lots in SM 247 of Cancun and will come in at a total cost of around 5.8 million peso. Vázquez says that the first 80,000 sargassum blocks will be delivered next week.
Vázquez explained that his company has already built 13 ecological houses and that he “will continue to offer support by joining this great project through BlueGreen, by joining forces without waiting for the government to do things, by setting an example,” he said adding that he also has manufacturing support as well as supply and labor support with a group of engineers and architects.
“Today the production of 10,000 twill blocks began for the perimeter fence. They should be ready in 10 days,” he said explaining that the project will cover 120 linear meters at a height of 2.20 meters and include the masonry, which should be finished in four to five weeks.
“The perimeter wall is going to require 10,000 twill blocks. Every 3,000 blocks represent 20 tons of wet sargassum, so in total, they are estimating between 50 and 70,000 twill blocks.”
He also mentioned that the blocks cost 10 peso each and that his company is absorbing 50 percent of that production cost, while the foundation pays the balance.
Vázquez said that these types of buildings are guaranteed with resistance tests and full electrical connections, adding that they are organic, do not smell and have improved acoustics.
The first house of this type was built in Leona Vicario in the municipality of Puerto Morelos and remains standing even after the last two hurricane seasons. “Now, we are entering Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Punta Cana and Africa,” he said.
Torres said that her foundation continues to support people who go to migration and remain stranded in tents in Cancun. “Haitians, Hondurans, Guatemalans, Venezuelans, Cubans and lately Russians who have not been able to return to their country, who came on vacation and are still here because of the war,” is who they help she said.
