A group of geometric concrete blocks that mimic rock pools have been installed at San Diego Bay in California by eco-engineering company Econcrete to prevent flooding while providing habitats for marine life.
The project, named Coastalock, is a coastal defence system with textured and indented surfaces that encourage organisms to latch on and colonise it.
It was designed by Econcrete as an alternative to traditional man-made flood defences that typically offer little or no value to underwater ecosystems.
Above: Econcrete has designed man-made rock pools. Top image: they have been installed at San Diego Bay
Econcrete's installation was carried out with the Port of San Diego corporation on two sites at Harbor Island as part of the area's Blue Economy Incubator, a scheme for trialling new and sustainable marine technologies. The modules replace existing riprap rock mounds ? a traditional type of coastal defence that prevents flooding and erosion ? which line both coastal sites.
They double as coastal defences and marine habitats
"This Blue Economy pilot is proving that the coastal and marine construction industry can achieve two goals at once: any concrete infrastructure going into the water can perform structurally and be good for ecosystems," said Shimrit Perkol-Finkel, co-founder of Econcrete.
"Coastalock is a fully load-bearing, durable solution that changes the form and function of our developed coastlines."
Their indented surfaces encourage marine lif...