Credit: Elsa Young

We’ve used design as a tool to ensure Kisawa is integrated, both culturally and environmentally into Mozambique
– Nina Flohr

Luxury eco-resort Kisawa Sanctuary has launched with a soft opening on Mozambique's subtropical island of Benguerra, complete with a Natural Wellness Centre inspired by Mozambican dwellings.

Kisawa has been brought to life using patented 3D sand-printing technology and is the brainchild of entrepreneur Nina Flohr – the daughter of Thomas Flohr, Swiss billionaire and founder of private aviation company VistaJet.

The method was used wherever possible to replace less sustainable construction practices, including during the inception of the wellness centre.

Located amongst dunes, the spa will open in July as part of the resort’s grand opening and offer rituals rooted in the five natural elements, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.

Kisawa is a combination of 12 one-, two- and three- bungalow residences, positioned within a 300-hectare stretch of forest, beach and sand dunes. Each has its own private beach, an open-air deck, infinity pool, outdoor day area and kitchen.

In her role as creative director, Flohr focused on authentic storytelling and placemaking, grounded in a deep curiosity for materials, form and function.

“My mission for Kisawa is to create a level of hospitality and design that, to my knowledge, does not exist today, a place that inspires feelings of freedom and luxury born from nature, space and true privacy,” she commented.

“We’ve used design as a tool, not as a style, to ensure Kisawa is integrated, both culturally and environmentally into Mozambique.”

The indoor-outdoor fluidity of the property’s contemporary architecture supports a flow aligned with Kisawa’s ‘find your own rhythm’ guest-experience philosophy and offers an honest acknowledgment of Mozambique’s terroir and heritage.

Flohr has also worked to limit the resort’s impact on the surrounding environment with the help of its non-profit sister project, The Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, a field marine station and laboratory which focuses on respect and maintenance of local culture and wildlife, which includes 150 species of birds, five species of turtles, humpback whales and whale sharks.

3D-printed luxury eco-resort and spa to open in Mozambique