Building with Obstacles
Two eight-story towers rise at the foot of Eagle Beach Bay. The luxury condominiums and penthouses, called Azure Beach Residences, are built by the Venezuelan project developer Pering. Sales manager Veronica Gomez and project manager Jorge Nuñez are excited about the result. But they also point out that the construction is not without challenges, and it’s their task to confront the obstacles
they are presented with.
A total of 98 apartments and 14 townhouses plus a common club house at the J.E. Irausquin Boulevard between Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, that’s what Azure Beach Residences will offer in the near future. According to project manager Jorge Nuñez the first tower will be delivered this spring. On the completion of the second tower he does not make a statement yet. The apartments and townhouses with a 180-degree view already sell quite well. Prices are in US dollar and they go from 469,000 to over a 1,000,000. Especially Americans and Canadians are interested, according to sales manager Veronica Gomez. They see it as an excellent investment with good rental possibilities – Azure Beach Residences also provides a rental program – and as a paradise on earth to stay permanently when they retire. ‘We expect sales to kick up in Aruba due to the fact that we are blessed with our location out of the Hurricane Belt’, she says. ‘We have calculated that we will receive many potential buyers that have been affected on other islands from the recent hurricane season. Especially with big selling points as the stunning ocean views and the beautiful Eagle Beach Bay in front.’ Gomez loves her job. ‘It is interesting to read the market and to listen to people to understand what they are looking for.’ In her native Venezuela, she was an elementary school teacher, yet once on the island she experienced a whole new world. Thanks to the combination of her fluent English and Spanish and the lessons on sales from her mentor, the previous sales manager, she got a taste for the job. ‘I feel privileged and blessed to work on such a great project at a super location.’
Challenges
For her it’s part of the package that
the construction of the project is no simple matter. ‘It is a challenge to get the materials on the island’, she outlines one of the difficulties. When Pering started in Aruba with developing high-end residences like Oceania and Blue, they were pioneers. Nowadays, the competition with other project developers is high and that brings forth even more challenges, such as finding specialized workers. ‘That’s why we are careful about indicating the moment everything is ready and available’, says Jorge Nuñez. ‘Mostly because we aim for quality over speed.
We started building Azure in March 2015, and we expect to deliver the first phase of construction in the first quarter of 2018, and the structure of the second building by February 2018.’ For Nuñez it’s all about overcoming the obstacles that building on Aruba brings about. Firstly, it is a real task to get all the permits for water, electricity, fire safety, foreign workers, and so on. Basically, getting done all the paperwork takes longer than usual when building in the Caribbean. Everything takes time, and most of it you can’t control. We call it the Aruba Factor.’
Poco a poco
‘Everything goes poco a poco’, Nuñez explains. And if something arrives damaged or broken, it will take a long time to replace it due to the shipping back and forth. In addition, the supply of materials depends on the port.
In other words, the logistics in order to build on an island where the main supplies and materials are all imported, do definitely increase the cost of developing in general. Nevertheless, the potential buyers balance all this as soon as they see the quality of the apartments and the surrounding area.
And as developers, that makes all the labor and the investment of 40 million US dollar worthwhile.Since they started working on the island, Gomez and Nuñez are connected to Aruba, to the sea, the views, and the people.
Like Gomez, Nuñez grew up in Venezuela. After graduating from civil engineering, he found his way into construction. Between 2005 and 2008 he lived on Aruba as Oceania’s field engineer. When another job opportunity presented itself, he left for Colombia, but when he got the chance to return to Aruba to lead the construction of Azure, he was at the forefront. ‘Life is good here’, he says. ‘The people are never in a hurry. It was really something for me to adapt to the island rhythm workwise.’ However, he does point out that even when stress does build up, the ocean, the peace, the nature, the blues,
the breeze, and the sunny days make it all disappear smoothly.
Main source of income
Fortunately, another project is already in the pipeline, the renovation of Harbor House.
This project near the cruise ship dock, once started by another company, has never been completed and has been languishing for more than ten years. ‘It will be very beautiful,’ Gomez says confidently. ‘And it offers apartments that are more affordable, so it’s interesting for the locals too.’ The purpose of the developers is to add benefits to the island by offering diversity in construction and lodging options.
‘We hope locals can acknowledge this and remember that it also yields income’, Gomez says. ‘Tourism is the main source for the island.’ In addition, the landscape is getting better, Nuñez adds. ‘We add value to the environment. A cultivated park is always better than dry land. Our ecosystems are really beautiful, and the high-end architecture adds something to the attractiveness of Aruba. And finally, a project like this brings employment to the island. Not only during construction, but also afterwards.’ It’s clear for Gomez and Nuñez: Azure, like Oceania and Blue Residences, brings beauty and capital to the island. And therefore, projects at this quality level are of major importance for the future of Aruba, according to them.