Tag Archives: Coral reef

Bio-Cement: A Potential Material That May Replace Regular Cement

Posted on by

Industrial designer Mary Lempres has unveiled a groundbreaking bio-cement structure named Reef Rocket, inspired by the intricate and resilient nature of oyster reefs. Designed to combat coastal flooding, filter seawater, and foster biodiversity, Reef Rocket utilizes biomimicry principles to mimic the functionalities of naturally occurring oyster reefs.

Designers: Mary Lempres, Ahmed Miftah

The structure comprises two bio-cement modules with ridged surfaces that can be stacked to form a distinctive rocket-like shape when assembled underwater. Lempres collaborated with bio-geotechnical specialist Ahmed Miftah to develop a unique method for growing plant-derived cement, drawing parallels to the irrigation systems used for plant cultivation.

Biomimicry, the practice of seeking solutions to human design challenges in nature, guided Lempres in creating ridged modules that emulate coastal oyster reefs. These reefs naturally filter algae from seawater, attract aquatic organisms, dissipate wave energy, mitigate storm surges, and manage eroding coastlines.

The bio-cement modules are formed by pouring a non-toxic solution containing a crude extract from globally grown plants over crushed aggregate. The aggregate, sourced in New York City, consists of crushed glass and oyster shells recovered from local restaurants and New York Harbour.

Lempres explained that the substrate, saturated for three to nine days, becomes natural concrete as the extracted biocatalyst causes minerals to form “mineral bridges” between the glass and shell waste. The resulting product is water-resistant, durable, and comparable to standard concrete but with the added benefit of being environmentally friendly and sustainable.

What sets Reef Rocket apart is its ability to grow in any environment without the need for heat or burning fossil fuels. Lempres emphasized its affordability and scalability as a sustainable alternative to traditional cement. The bio-concrete shares chemical similarities with the material oysters use to grow their reefs, but the key difference lies in the speed of growth, with Reef Rocket taking only several days compared to millennia for natural oyster reefs.

Lempres and her team experimented with “hundreds” of prototypes before settling on prefabricated molds for the modules. These molds allow the bio-cement to be packed and set without the need for heat or chemicals, offering an accessible and efficient assembly process.

Reef Rocket’s deliberate design prioritizes small size, lightweight construction, and ease of assembly, aiming to make the innovative solution accessible to a broad audience. Lempres envisions a future where durable materials can be grown like crops, regenerating waste and mitigating environmental pollution. The project stands as a testament to the potential of biomimicry and sustainable design in addressing the challenges posed by climate change and coastal resilience. Reef Rocket represents a significant step towards harmonizing human infrastructure with the resilient and regenerative capacities of the natural world.

The post Bio-Cement: A Potential Material That May Replace Regular Cement first appeared on Yanko Design.

This drone + carrier monitors, protects, and restores reefs by planting 100 corals per day sustainably!

Posted on by




Climate change is not leaving any sphere of life untouched and a lot of that damage is irreversible. Coral reefs are one such natural treasure that is facing the harsh effects of global warming and they are dying at an alarming rate. If things continue at this speed, 90% of coral reefs will vanish by 2050. While they only occupy 0.1% of the total area of the ocean, they actually support 25% of all marine species on earth! Nemo is an award-winning device designed to assist with coral restoration in an efficient, sustainable way, with large-scale capacity. It can plant 100 corals a day and only requires 2-3 people to complete the operation.

Coral reefs help us breathe, protect us from storms, provide us with food and support the economy of coastal communities – and that is why we need to save them at all costs. Nemo consists of a digital platform, a specialized transport box, and a collaborative drone that works within its four-stage service program to help municipalities. The digital platform helps scientists to research and monitor coral reefs more accurately and at the same time, it spreads global awareness about coral reefs to citizens. The platform keeps a record of all the data gathered from monitoring the reefs. The specialized transport box protects corals during their relocation from the nursery site to the outplant site by regulating the temperature of the saltwater and pH value to give the young corals the best chance for survival during their journey. Meanwhile, the collaborative drone helps scientists monitor by 3D scanning and mapping the coral reefs. This information is uploaded to a digital platform for the benefit of coral restoration agencies. The main parts of Nemo are made from recycled plastic to reduce its environmental impact.

“We used a human-centered design approach to help solve an environment-centered design problem. We combined the best of both processes and implemented our findings from both approaches. The process behind Nemo was also highly iterative and involved multiple experts from different sectors. During our research, we got feedback from experts on our concepts and ideas to verify them and to make sure we were heading in the right direction. We also hosted creative workshops to get input from more designers across disciplines to make our product better which included digital prototyping and iterative sketching exercises,” said the team while describing their process of creating Nemo. The system uses a combination of growing corals on pre-manufactured locally recycled structures using bioadhesives and drilling holes into the ocean floor to optimize the process for 2-3 people instead of the traditional 10-15 team which saves the restoration agencies’ resources.

Nemo was created to rebuild and support healthy ecosystems which is crucial for a sustainable future, it was the answer to the question “How can the journey towards a more sustainable, efficient, and simple coral restoration process be designed?” While there are many coral restoration efforts and technology, none are as comprehensive as Nemo because it goes beyond just planting new corals and takes the entire lifecycle as well as education about the crisis into account. It allows coral restoration organizations to scale up their efforts and accelerate the positive impact. Nemo has been shortlisted for the James Dyson 2021 National Winner and has also been recognized at the Red Dot Concept Awards 2020, the Core77 Design for Social Impact Notable, and Core77 Transportation Notable.

Designer: Elias Thaddäus Pfuner and Mario Kapsalis

These 3D printed terracotta tiles along Hong Kong’s coast are designed to revive the marine coral life!

Posted on by

Coral reefs are one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world and I can say that from my personal diving experience – there is a whole colorful world that thrives underwater and we must protect it because they support more species per unit area than any other marine environment! Coral presence has rapidly declined all over the world, especially in the last decade so Hong Kong-based marine scientists and architects have created terra-cotta tiles to help rebuild and give corals a fighting chance against climate change. This is a crucial leap for ocean restoration projects!

Hong Kong saw an 80% decline in the coral population in Double Island, Sai Kung, over the past decade and that drove the team to come up with a solution that would not only help that region but also the rest of the world that was blessed with corals. The team from Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and its Robotic Fabrication Lab of the faculty of architecture worked together to 3D print terra-cotta tiles that will act as artificial reefs. The result is a mesmerizing, organic swirl of line and negative space that reads like a burnt orange topographic map—and mimics the natural patterns of the coral itself. Why terra-cotta? It’s highly porous with “nice surface micro-texture” for marine organisms to latch on to, says team member Dave Baker, and an eco-friendly alternative to conventional materials such as cement or metal, the HKU team says.

The team 3D printed terra-cotta clay into the reef tile pattern and fired it to 2,057 degrees Fahrenheit to produce the 128 tiles so far. Each tile is almost two feet in diameter. The team placed the reef tiles seeded with coral fragments over about a 430-square-foot area across three sites within Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in Hong Kong this past July and will monitor it for the next two years. The designs can also be specific to the environment and underwater conditions where they are placed; for instance, the team designed these tiles to prevent sedimentation buildup, a major problem in Hong Kong waters. The tiles interlock organically which enables the team to keep expanding when needed without disturbing existing settings. It gives the corals lots of nooks and crannies to anchor onto. Manmade or artificial reefs help restore lost coral populations by reintroducing an environment amenable to regrowth—and they’ve been made of everything from purposefully submerged shipwrecks to cement sculptures because corals aren’t picky, they just want to grow!

Designer: Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

The robotic 3D printing process offers unique advantages in the design and production of artificial reefs, it makes production easier and more efficient, by allowing the team to create large pieces in a short amount of time. It also enables the team to create tiles with different designs and functions that could be specific to certain corals and help in accelerating their growth.

“Though these tiles could be produced with other methods, such as making a double-sided mold, it would be quite complex to do since the design of the tile is very three-dimensional,” Lange says. “3D printing offers the advantage to produce objects and parts much more cost-effectively. But the most powerful advantage of it is that it could print each object with a different design without increasing the cost.”

The team from Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and its Robotic Fabrication Lab of the faculty of architecture worked together to 3D print terra-cotta tiles that will act as artificial reefs. With time the team will use different designs in the next iteration to figure out how they affect the species.