Tavira - How to Live Well

Finding Purpose in Community

A cross between a wellness retreat, community living and a rural village, Tavira Eco-village is ‘a place to live well’. Working with the client team, Heta developed the strategic briefing, visioning and masterplan for the project and integrated community-led principles of sustainable community, healthy living and shared discovery.

Set amongst the natural beauty and restoring elements of the Algarve, the eco-village is designed to provide a home, healthy lifestyle and wellness hub for a community of active seniors, local workers, second homers and visitors. The needs, desires and shared values of these community stakeholders in combination with the delightful local offering in and around Tavira, have helped inform certain inclusions to the masterplan such as senior living homes, community residences, an apartment hotel, a wellness and rehabilitation centre, medical centre, food and nutrition centre and a community hospitality, retail and workshop space. These components combine around an active central village square or ‘Praca’, providing a connective centre for community gathering and activation.

Integrated Principles

Heta's human-centred approach has identified the integration of wellness and environmental design as vital to enable a thriving and viable community offering. Using Heta tools and frameworks, we developed experiential interventions across the masterplan and wider area to include exercise, nutrition, environmental quality and wellness, medicine and rehabilitation, regenerative health research, digital wellness tracking, biophilia and connection to nature, and the local lifestyle and culture of the Algarve.