Mangroves are vital for stabilizing shorelines, but their recent depletion presents impending doom for coastal habitats. 

Courtesy of Aptum Architecture

Mangroves are vital for stabilizing shorelines, but their recent depletion presents impending doom for coastal habitats. Aptum Architecture and CEMEX Research Group might have a solution. Their collaborative project, Rhizolith Island (Isla Rhizolith), is a prototype that explores the potential for floating concrete structures to revitalize deteriorating shorelines. The structure was just installed in Cartagena, Columbia as part of the RC 2016 (Reunion del Concreto), an international Expo and Academic Conference on Concrete. 

Courtesy of Aptum Architecture
Due to sedimentary imbalance, rising sea-levels, and flooding, coastal erosion along the Colombian coast has increased its span. Rhizolith Island attempts to emulate the mangroves, which control sediments through their roots, thereby preventing shoreline decay. Essentially comprised of "root-like" concrete components and planted mangroves, the project's natural and artificial elements create an organic Rhizolith ? a root system encased in mineral matter. 

Courtesy of Aptum Architecture

Courtesy of Aptum Architecture

The design is constructed from two separate pieces: a head and a fin made from concrete mixes and c...