Valentino Gareri Atelier has unveiled renderings of the Cacao Eco Village in Ecuador for local farmers that will feature 3D-printed buildings made from recycled cacao.

Cacao Eco Village will be located on the coast of Ecuador's Manabi province where cacao farmers live and work to produce chocolate through extracting cocoa butter and solids from cacao beans.
Cacao Eco Village will be located on the coast of Ecuador
Valentino Gareri Atelier designed the project for Ecuadorian chocolate manufacturer Muze, as well as nonprofit organisation Avanti, with construction scheduled to begin this year.
The village will feature various site figurations of three different-shaped modules, all of which will be 3D-printed using cacao shell waste biofilaments leftover from chocolate production. The Events Center will feature pillars clad in cacao shell waste
Geometric in form, the modules will also include a range of other local materials in their architecture, such as bamboo and wood.
According to Valentino Gareri Atelier, the modules will be designed in order to create a self-sufficient village. For example, decorative water tanks will be integrated into the modules' roofs, which will collect rainwater.
The village will have sea views
"The facades will draw inspiration from the wide range of multi-coloured Ecuadorian houses and from the cacao trees' colourful fruits," said the architecture firm, which has offices in New York and Sydney.
Cacao Eco Village will include a cacao-pr...