Ingenious Pollution Fighting, Life Attracting 3D Printed Tiles That Reinforce the Seawall in Sydney Harbour

Volvo Australia, in partnership with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Reef Design Lab (previously), have introduced the “Living Seawall”, 50 ingeniously designed 3D tiles made from recycled plastic that mimic the natural mangrove root structure that makes up the seawall of Sydney Harbour. The tiles were attached to the existing seawall near Kirribilli, New South Wales in order to reinforce the weakened structure and to encourage organic life to rebuild as they thrive.

Designed to mimic the root structure of native mangrove trees, the Living Seawall adds complexity to the existing seawall structure and provides a habitat for marine life. This aids biodiversity and attracts filter-feeding organisms that actually absorb and filter out pollutants – such as particulate matter and heavy metals – keeping the water ‘clean’. The more organisms we have, the cleaner the water.

Living Seawall

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via DesignTAXI

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.