Interview with Juan Andrés Romero, CEO of CLERHP, and Luis Chamizo, director of architecture in Larimar City
Piscina Barcelona is once again one of the main international showcases for innovation in the design of aquatic areas, wellness and sustainability, focusing on unique projects in priority regions for the fair. Together with the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, one of these regions is the Caribbean. This is where CLERHP, a company specialising in engineering and property development, has developed the first smart city in the Dominican Republic by promoting Larimar City in Punta Cana. It’s a pioneering project that redefines the concept of the resort and proposes a city planned from the outset with a comprehensive approach to wellness, technology and sustainability. To understand this vision at first hand, we spoke to Juan Andrés Romero, CEO of CLERHP, and Luis Chamizo, director of architecture in Larimar City. They explained how water and wellness areas have become part of the project’s DNA and why the Dominican Republic is now a magnet for international investment.
– Larimar is a new concept of resort city in the Dominican Republic, with a holistic view of the notion of wellness at its core. How is it different from other resorts we already know in the Caribbean?
Juan Andrés Romero: Larimar City isn’t an ordinary resort, it’s a city that’s been conceived from scratch with a sustainable urban planning model that places people’s well-being centre stage. At Larimar we’ve created an integral ecosystem merging avant-garde, sophistication and exclusiveness with nature, education, health, sport, leisure and culture.
Our major distinctive edge is conscious urban planning that prioritises co-existence, relaxation, sport and sustainability, ensuring that each space is designed to improve the quality of life. With the above in mind, the first smart city in the Caribbean has been created: Larimar City & Resort.
– Why did you choose the Dominican Republic in the first place?
J.A.R.: In its constant search for new markets, CLERHP, after 15 years of activity in different Latin American countries, identified the ideal setting in the Dominican Republic. It has established itself as one of the most politically and economically stable countries in the Caribbean, providing an attractive and secure environment for foreign investment.
It was within this context that Larimar City came into being, as a project that harnesses the opportunities of the location and the potential of the Dominican market. The international air connectivity, the privileged climate and the hospitality of its people make the Dominican Republic a unique destination for people seeking quality of life and those looking for a solid investment.
In this scenario, Punta Cana, renowned throughout the world as one of the most important tourist destinations, provides a strategic enclave for Larimar City with extraordinary potential for international and tourist growth.
– You define yourselves as the first smart city in the Dominican Republic. What’s a smart city for you?
J.A.R.: For us, a smart city is a city planned in an integral manner that combines technology, sustainability and urban services to improve people’s lives. It isn’t just a matter of applying home automation to the homes, it also requires intelligent resource management, with electric mobility, energy efficiency, water treatment, the digitisation of processes and high-density urban planning to promote grassed and wellness areas.
Larimar City came into being with this vision: a connected city with centralised management of its services ranging from maintenance to security, backed by technology that guarantees efficiency, trust and quality of life. A true epicentre of technology and well-being in the Caribbean, it’s also designed to attract, among other people, the new digital nomads and adapt to the new lifestyles.
CLERHP brings a distinctive value; as a Spanish company in the AECO sector, we transfer to the Caribbean the experience we’ve built up in different countries and our knowledge of innovation and urban development in Europe, from the execution to the management of the city to shape what’s set to become the first smart city in the region.
– What kind of buyer have you focused on? How many homes have you sold?
J.A.R.: Our approach encompasses a highly diverse buyer profile, including international investors interested in profitability in a growing market, families seeking a secure environment to settle in, retirees attracted by the quality of life and, increasingly, digital nomads who are choosing the Caribbean as a base for their professional activityl.
In terms of results, Larimar City & Resort’s cumulative sales now exceed 233 million dollars, in accordance with our 2025-2027 Business Plan. In the first half of 2024 alone, we recorded approximately 216 million dollars in sales, a figure that clearly reflects the market’s confidence and the strength of the project.
Besides, as a company listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange (BME Growth), the regular audited updates are published in our official file and on CLERHP’s corporate website, enabling us to track the progress of the project and the support of the market in a transparent manner.
– The component linked to pool and wellness design is very important. How have you endowed Larimar with these kinds of spaces? What value do you think customers place on these kinds of wellness areas?
Luis Chamizo: Water is life and in Larimar City it forms part of our DNA. The aquamarine colour of the Caribbean that inspires the star colour of our project reflects this deep connection with the environment and well-being. Based on this premise, we’ve conceived a large seafront, a promenade where water acts as the guiding thread in the purest Mediterranean style.
The amenities in the first phase, including the Beauty & Wellness Centre and the Beach Club with artificial beaches, are spread along this backbone. They’re designed to provide unique experiences promoting health, relaxation and vitality. These spaces aren’t isolated elements; they form part of a comprehensive urban design in which every tiny detail seeks to improve the residents’ quality of life.
This approach also reflects a global trend in health and wellness tourism that can be observed at the main international congresses, acknowledging that care for people must be placed at the centre of any development.
This is why in Larimar City we’ve positioned this goal at the heart of the project, creating a city in which water, nature and innovation combine to offer a healthy lifestyle, spaces for co-existence and proposals that meet the demands of customers enjoying a new standard of well-being in the Caribbean.
– Wastewater reuse, use of renewable energies… How do you combine the concept of sustainability and wellness spaces?
J.A.R: Sustainability lies at the heart of Larimar City. We’ve developed a wastewater reuse system to irrigate the grassed areas and pools and integrated renewable energies throughout the urban infrastructure.
The project’s water resource is fully guaranteed, and we’ve innovatively incorporated water purification processes into the homes, an added value which is unusual in the region, thereby reinforcing our commitment to the residents’ health and quality of life.
At Larimar we believe that sustainability and well-being are complementary and not independent concepts; one can’t exist without the other.
– What roles do sport, wellness, pools and outdoor activities play in the design of the Larimar City project?
L.CH.: Larimar City is the first major development in Punta Cana with a plan to integrate these elements into the daily life of its residents. The international trend is towards cities that don’t just build infrastructures but also generate wellness experiences and co-existence, and Larimar was created with this vision in mind.
The project will include a world-class golf course, high-performance sports facilities, swimming pools in the different residential areas and wellness spaces located on the seafront and in the hotels. Everything is designed to offer an integral lifestyle, with sport, health and leisure complementing each other in a single environment.
– As a Spanish company developing a unique project in the Caribbean, what does it mean for the industry and the visitors to an international fair like Piscina Barcelona to learn about an initiative like Larimar City?
L.CH.: Larimar City constitutes a unique example of how the design of pools and wellness and aquatic areas can be integrated into the planning of an entire city. These aren’t isolated facilities, they’re an urban concept with water as a common thread ensuring wellness experiences, leisure and quality of life.
For the professionals in the sector, learning about a project of this magnitude means discovering how international trends, from wellness tourism to the integration of artificial beaches and promenades, can be embodied in a real Caribbean destination.
Larimar City will thus become a pioneering benchmark capable of transporting European innovation and design to a unique environment, offering the industry an inspirational vision of the future of water-related urban development.
– Which three key concepts of your project should visitors to the fair take away with them?
J.A.R.: Firstly, inspiration; learning more about a project that integrates the latest trends in smart cities, sustainability and wellness spaces and demonstrates how innovation can transform the way of life in the Caribbean.
Secondly, partnerships; understanding that Larimar City is an ecosystem that’s open to suppliers and strategic partners who share our vision of innovation, sustainability and excellence in urban design.
And, thirdly, strategic knowledge; being certain that Larimar City is the leading project in the Caribbean, a new centre of attraction for international investment that will consolidate the region as a destination of the future.
Cristina Benavides
Piscina Barcelona contributor
