Description
The property is located at an altitude of 381 meters in the heart of the Tijuca Forest, a mountainous, hand-planted rain forest, in the City of Rio de Janeiro, that is considered the largest urban forest in the world, covering 31,5 hectares. The forest is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife many threatened by extinction and found only in the Atlantic Rainforest.
Historically all of the original forest was destroyed to make way for coffee plantations and was replanted in the second half of the 19th century in an effort to protect Rio’s water supply. In fact the property itself served as one of the principal initial water supplies for Rio. In 1961, the Tijuca Forest was declared a National Park and is host to a number of attractions, most notably the statue, Christ the Redeemer, named in 2007 as one of the
New 7 Wonders of the World. Adjacent to the property the National Park operates a tourist area where visitors can hike, or drive, through the park and experience the beauty of the rainforest environment.
There are 5 primary access roads to the area which make it easily accessible from any location in Rio. The roads leading to the area are well traveled and well maintained and landscaped. Estimated drive times to key areas in Rio are as follows:
International Airport ……………………………………. 40 minutes
Domestic Airport …………………………………………. 25 minutes
Centro – Business District …………………………….. 20 minutes
Beaches of Ipanema & Copacabana ……………….. 15 minutes
Beaches of Barra da Tijuca ……………………………. 15 minutes
Statue Christ the Redeemer ………………………….. 10 minutes
Olympic Village ……………………………………………. 20 minutes
The property has been in the Quattrone family since the 1930’s, and is comprised of 7 lots with a total area of 78 acres. The upper level of the property contains 2 main structures, along with a pool and tennis court. The lower “farm” level contains a small support structure. Both areas contain mostly exotic trees as opposed to natural trees. Removal of natural trees is highly restricted and it is projected that these areas will provide ample space for the construction of a resort hotel facility within the usage limitation of 10% of the total acreage.
Given the usage limitation of 10%, a fairly large property is required to achieve the usable space necessary to construct a 100 ha luxury resort. This is the only available property in the area large enough for the proposed development. There is one other property twice as large but it has access issues and development challenges.
The main building on the upper level is an historic mansion of approximately 743 m² which was built in 1828 by the English engineer, William Gilbert Gentry, who came to Brazil to develop a gas distribution system in Rio. This property served as the setting for the golden era of coffee
plantations in Rio until the area was ordered to be replanted by Dom Pedro II in 1861. The second building on the site was originally constructed in the late 1900’s as a home for a family member, but was later converted into an event facility serving as host to many prestigious
weddings over the years. The community of Alto da Boa Vista is a quiet, upscale neighborhood of the City of Rio de Janeiro, and hosts many large primary and secondary homes of Rio’s elite class. Current legislation restricts new residential construction to large single-family homes on at least 1 ha lots, which will serve to maintain the upscale environment of the community. Finally, traffic flow to the property will be minimal as the property is situated on a road with no exit just a short walk to the center of town.
Additional Facts and Infrastructure:
3 suites and two bedrooms of 80 m²
support facilities for events
Area for helicopter landing
Area for Business center
Swimming pool with a deck of 200 m² and a pool with 706 m²
Tennis court surrounded by galvanized wire screens with more than 2230 m² of lawns for the assembly of awnings etc.
Internal area of the support mansion with 270 m²
External awning structure support for events with 330 m²
Two artificial lakes
Internal roads, allowing the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles, partially urbanized
Water supply from springs, used as an alternative to the public network
ample gardening, grassy areas and fruit trees
Project Concept:
The following paragraph refers exclusively to the already established project which can be purchased separately from the property – as a second or additional option.
The property owner’s representative, João Santos, with limited resources, developed an initial concept for an eco resort of approximately 250 rooms, to be constructed primarily on existing open space, or space containing exotic trees, therefore resulting in minimal disturbance to the natural trees, which is a significant issue with respect to the environmental approvals required. Current zoning and environmental restrictions limit the height of new construction to 12 meters, which normally would indicate that 3 floors could be constructed, but we have been advised that in order to expedite the approval process that a structure with a maximum of 2 floors will be preferred. The upper level of the property, where the historic mansion resides, and must remain, will serve as the site for the main hotel, and the lower level will serve as the site for 24 luxury condominiums which are
projected to be sold as residential units branded with the resort. Underground parking is planned to
minimize disturbance to the site.
Large meeting and conference facilities at luxury properties in Rio are virtually nonexistent. In addition, properties that do have adequate facilities are in locations where meeting/conference attendees are likely to wander off property which can result in a security risk. Accordingly, the inclusion of a large meeting and conference component was incorporated into the owner’s preliminary concept. This project would be the first world-class luxury resort in Rio de Janeiro, and would certainly receive n
