Six Senses Laamu announces to open the Sea Hub for Environmental Learning in Laamu (SHELL) on 01st March 2023.
The SHELL sits on the resort’s sunset beach, covering a total area of 5,952 square feet (553 square meters) with its cornerstone earlier on 06th May 2022.
The hub will house the Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI), a marine conservation collaborative consisting of Six Senses Laamu marine biologists and partner NGOs, The Manta Trust, Blue Marine Foundation, and Olive Ridley Project along with a gallery exhibition space, offices, marine laboratory, cinema room, and kids’ zone.
Moreover, the hub will be further enhanced with virtual and augmented reality technologies and conservation art.
The SHELL is a multi-use space designed to educate guests and offers curated and immersive marine conservation experiences. The 2,336 square-foot (217 square-meter) central exhibition space invites guests to explore the colorful and vibrant local marine life during out-of-the-ordinary encounters. The MUI team will be offering hands-on-guest activities and presentations parallel to their research, conservation efforts, and initiatives. The hub will also feature designated facilities for hosting world-class researchers to further expand MUI’s ambitious goal to see sustainable resource management in Laamu.
“Healing the ocean requires understanding first. The environmentalist Baba Dioum once said, ‘In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.’ So, let us teach; let us educate the new generation on the importance of nature conservation,” said Marteyne van Well, the Regional General Manager of the resort.
“This is the vision behind the Sea Hub for Environmental Learning in Laamu; to engage the hearts and minds of our guests, our local communities, and our hosts. Our wish is for us and our owners, HPL Hotels & Resorts, to leave a legacy in the Laamu Atoll, where science and leisure come together with one goal: to discover more and be inspired to protect our oceans.”
Stephen Lau, the Chairman of HPL Hotels & Resorts said, “The SHELL is the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Six Senses Laamu and the resort’s long record in marine conservation and community outreach. Our wish to make Laamu atoll a better place for generations to come has been our common vision of HPL and that common vision has been the driving force behind what made this project come to life today”.
“The opening of the SHELL at Six Senses Laamu is a milestone moment for the resort and the company overall, as it truly represents the passion for the ocean environment and biology, a key agenda item for Marteyne and her team. We are equally delighted and excited at how Six Senses, through the SHELL, is bringing to life our company values in the beautiful and fragile Maldives ecosystem,” said Neil Jacobs, the CEO of Six Senses.