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San Alfonso del Mar
San Alfonso del Mar is a resort located in the central coast of Chile, frequently noted because of its 1,000-meter long, 19-acre outdoor pool, which holds a Guinness world record. The resort's large pool utilizes a technology developed by the Chilean company Crystal Lagoons, which uses water pumped from the Pacific Ocean, that is then filtered and treated for supply to the pool.
The resort lies very close to the seashore, just a few meters north of the small coastal town of Algarrobo, right in the middle of a wetland called "Humedal El Membrillo", which now is a protected wetland. Such placement was possible since the building permit was granted by 1993, before the ratification of the Ramsar Convention by Chile, which would have prevented such construction in that area, as it soon was listed by the Ramsar Committee as a wetland of international importance.
The expansion of the resort has occupied most of the surface of the wetland, which is a nesting bird colony. The last southbound expansion has caused serious problems on the natural lagoon located on its southern edge.
Despite being right next to the neighboring town of Algarrobo, and its residents being completely dependent on services and commerce located there, the resort is completely segregated from the town and it's design does not consider pedestrian access - aspects that have been criticized by the traditional inhabitants of the area, several environmentalist NGOs and the local Municipality.
Kennedy Foundation has developed a project for the protection of the remains of the northern part of the wetland, which has faced serious opposition by Inmobiliaria El Plomo, the company responsible for the initial construction and later expansion of the resort.
The stiling of the buildings, resembling step pyramids, similar to some Caribbean resorts, has been seriously criticized by some architects, since it has no relation to the local architecture and climatic conditions, being more appropriate for a climate much hotter climate and climate much hotter than that of the central coastal areas of Chile.
On other aspects, despite not having commerce or services inside the resort, thus being totally depending on the neighboring Algarrobo, the complex is self-closed an is completely surrounded by tall fences and walls, while both the aesthetics and practical aspects of the architecture remain highly controversial
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article San Alfonso del Mar
