Revolutionizing Construction with the Use of Nudura® ICFs at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort

The $20 million addition to the luxury Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on the island of St. Maarten involved three connecting, four-story buildings to add 98 new hotel rooms. With the resort remaining open during construction, speed and simplicity were key to the project’s success. The buildings also had to be designed for seismic and hurricane-wind loads to withstand potential natural disasters of the waterfront location. Another factor was optimizing the building’s energy usage as energy costs are significantly higher on the island compared to mainland areas.

To attain the installation efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability goals, Divi Resorts chose to build with Nudura insulated concrete forms (ICFs). Even with a crew of installers who had no prior ICF experience, the construction went quickly, reducing the project timeline by 60 days compared to other building methods. The simplicity of the process with minimal materials and equipment needed on-site allowed the resort to continue operations during construction.

The project used ICFs for all exterior walls and demising walls to maximize energy efficiency and sound attenuation with the high R-value and STC ratings of Nudura ICF blocks. Steel reinforcement was incorporated into the insulated concrete form assembly so the resort will also be protected from seismic activity, tropical storms and hurricanes.

For the exterior finish, Dryvit TAFS™ was applied directly over the ICFs for an easy, elegant finish. This collaboration with leading Tremco CPG brands created a safe and energy-efficient expansion to this beachfront resort for customers to enjoy for decades to come.