reef design lab plants concrete with recycled shells in water to save marine life from erosion

Erosion mitigation units with recycled shells for marine species

Design company Reef Design Lab creates concrete module units mixed with locally sourced recycled shells to help prevent further erosion in bodies of water and create livable habitats for marine species such as mussels and oysters. The design company has planted its Erosion Mitigation Units (EMU) in Port Phillip Bay, Dell Eco Reef in Clifton Springs, Victoria, and the City of Greater Geelong in Australia, where the lotus-root-looking concrete can regenerate marine life underwater.

Each module was manufactured from reusable formwork and cast in a low-energy concrete mixture with mixed recycled shells, including oysters. The organic forms, which may resemble lotus roots, were an intentional design choice to reduce the number of materials required to create these module units and forge shelters where fish and other marine species, including mussels and oysters, can find ideal surface conditions to grow undisturbed.

images by Reef Design Lab

Reef design lab creates specialized wave break modules

The specialized wave break modules are installed to protect the coasts they are in and create a safe habitat for the species living in the bodies of water. Reef Design Lab explains that each unit weighs around 1,800 kilos so it can withstand severe waves and is mechanically anchored to the sand so it is rooted in its place. The Erosion Mitigation Units can also form a dynamic snorkeling destination for the local community, as Reef Design Lab adds. As seen in the video, species like shellfish have begun living in the Erosion Mitigation Units months after they were installed.

The modules were designed in this way, sloping upwards like rocky hills and dotted with large holes to carve inlets and spaces, in hopes of reducing the force of waves and avoiding extreme erosion along the bodies of water. Reef Design Lab adds that the undulating modules let people snorkel through the system at high tide and explore the rock pools at low tide, just like a natural rocky reef. The 200-centimeter-wide units were constructed from an eco-blend concrete mixture and locally sourced recycled shell aggregate.

the concrete module units are mixed with locally sourced recycled shells

the Erosion Mitigation Units can help reduce erosion in bodies of water and create livable habitats for marine species

the Erosion Mitigation Units can also form a dynamic snorkeling destination for the local community

Reef Design Lab has planted their units in Port Phillip Bay, Dell Eco Reef in Clifton Springs, and the City of Greater Geelong

close-up look at the cast concrete Erosion Mitigation Unit

each module was manufactured from reusable formwork and cast in a low-energy concrete mixture

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Reef Design Lab's Erosion Mitigation Units

Reef Design Lab's Erosion Mitigation Units

Reef Design Lab's Erosion Mitigation Units

project info:

name: Erosion Mitigation Units

design: Reef Design Lab