InterContinental Bora Bora - Deep Sea Water Air Conditioning

Implementation of the first Sea Water Air Conditionning system (SWAC) at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. A system that eliminates the use of potentially hazardous compounds that deplete the ozone layer (H.C.F.C.s) and designed to save up to 90 % of the hotel's electricity consumption for air conditioning or 2.5 million liters of fuel oil each year. All in all a saving of half a million dollars for a 80 units resort. The slightly crazy idea of running the hotel's air-conditioning system on water extracted from the depths of the sea was mentioned to Richard Bailey, the majority shareholder in the InterContinental Resort and Thalasso Spa Bora Bora, by a certain Marlon Brando. He owned the neighboring atoll of Tetiaroa, which he fell in love with in 1965 when filming "Mutiny on the Bounty". A fervent defender of the environment, the legendary actor had been following with great interest the first practical applications of this new technique in buildings in Hawaii.