Family that fixes together

OLD SPACES: DERELICT HOTELS TO FORGOTTEN LANDMARKS, LE ROUX CLAN BREATHES NEW LIFE → A lockdown wine bottle sparks new concept, turning crisis into creativity.

- Hein Kaiser

UNDER CONSTRUCTION. One of the homes that the Le Roux family rebuilt in Croatia.

kay, so it's not every family that chooses projects to do together. This, especially when said project demands a lot of sweat, a bit of arguing along the way and a great deal of patience.

But the Le Roux family and dad Leandro le Roux seem to have made a habit of it. He's a businessman but the family finds the forgotten, the worn-out and then does some CPR.

Le Roux has a hand in several ventures. From steel manufacturing in Jet Park to renewable energy projects across Africa, and, then, the family collaboration restoring property in Croatia and Portugal.

"We have always enjoyed making something work again," he said. "It is not just about profit. It is about taking something that has lost its spark and finding a way to make it useful again."

In Portugal, the family restores old seaside hotels and converts them into retirement spaces for older people.