Built around the land, not on top of it.
67% of the project is permanent green space, protected under a five-year environmental license with 57 binding conditions.
Most projects describe sustainability with adjectives. We prefer numbers. Sienna operates under a five-year environmental license issued by the Dominican Ministry of Environment, with 57 binding conditions. The license defines how we build, how we operate, and what we are required to maintain in perpetuity. The result is a project where the natural site shapes the architecture, not the other way around — and where the commitments are verifiable, not aspirational. See the permits page. For the lived version — slow living, the daily rhythm, what this means once you move in — read Sustainable Living.
The hard numbers.
of the total project area is protected as permanent green space — native vegetation, the Arroyo Seco protection strip, communal farms, the trail network. This is set in Environmental License N° 0644-26 and cannot be reduced.
of the total area is the buildable footprint of all 93 villas combined. The remaining 20% is community amenities and access roads.
protection strip on both margins of the Arroyo Seco — the natural watercourse that runs through the project — with full preservation of riparian vegetation, as required by the Dominican National Land Use Plan.
These are not targets. They are the binding terms of our environmental license.
Designed for the climate, not against it.
Every villa in Sienna is built under architectural guidelines that reflect the realities of the Samaná hillside.
Footprint follows topography
Villas on slopes greater than 15% are built on columns rather than cut into the hillside. This preserves the natural water flow, minimizes excavation, and protects existing mature trees.
Passive cooling by design
Orientation captures prevailing ocean breezes. High ceilings move heat upward. Insulated roofs use coconut fiber and gravel layers, which outperform standard concrete-only roofs in this climate and reduce air conditioning load.
Solar-ready from day one
Every villa is built with the structural and electrical infrastructure to install solar — orientation, roof load capacity, conduit pathways. Activation is at the owner's option.
Mandatory low-consumption equipment
LED lighting throughout, shower flow capped at 7.5 L/min, dual-flush toilets at 6L/3L, air conditioning with minimum SEER 18 efficiency, solar or heat-pump water heaters. Gas and direct-resistance water heaters are prohibited.
Salt-system pools only
Traditional chlorine pools are prohibited under the building guidelines, for the impact on water systems downstream and the experience of the user.
The full Lineamientos Arquitectónicos document is available to architects and buyers in the building conditions section.
What the project commits to maintain.
The environmental license commits Sienna to specific operating practices, monitored by semi-annual reports to the Ministry of Environment.
Centralized wastewater treatment
Every villa connects to the project's collective treatment plant. Individual septic systems are not permitted. Treated water is returned to landscape irrigation where the system permits.
Protected species program
Three native species on the Dominican Red List — Palma real, Gri-gri, Juan Colorado — are individually georeferenced and protected. Any intervention requires authorization from the Vice-Ministry of Forestry, coordinated through the project.
Native species reforestation
Replanting programs use only native species. Ornamental imports are not permitted in common areas.
Permeable parking and pathways
All parking surfaces are built in permeable materials — eco-pavers, gravel, grass-concrete — never solid concrete. This is a license condition, not a design preference.
Construction waste protocol
Every contractor working in the project signs an Environmental Contractual Annex that binds them to the licensed disposal channels for debris, hazardous waste, oils, and chemicals. Inspections occur at four construction milestones per villa.
Drainage to the community system
No villa discharges rainwater to streets, to neighbors, or to natural watercourses. Every villa connects to the project's pluvial drainage network.
Daily operations.
Communal farms
Project-internal farms and gardens supply organic produce to the Casa Club restaurant and are accessible to residents on a participation basis.
Walking-first design
The project is designed around a network of internal trails. Villa-to-amenity distances are walkable; car use within the project is minimal.
Waste separation
Project-wide segregation into organic, recyclable, general, and hazardous categories. Hazardous household waste (batteries, paints, electronics, fluorescent lamps) goes to a community collection point routed through licensed handlers.
Phasing out single-use plastics
Progressive elimination across construction and operation phases, as required by the environmental license.
Planned, not delivered.
Some elements of the project are planned but not yet operational. Listing them honestly.
Casa Club and Centro Deportivo are designed for solar primary supply. Activation follows construction of those amenities.
Two community charging points are planned within the project, location and timing subject to amenity buildout.
Centralized composting infrastructure planned alongside the operational launch of the farms.
Workshops on composting, water conservation, and local ecology are planned through Sienna Village once that lot is operational.
The license and the standards, in full.
The 57 binding conditions live in the Environmental License, and the architectural detail in the Lineamientos. Both are open to architects, buyers, and anyone doing their diligence.