Mumbles Coastal Protection Project, Swansea, Wales

Sustainable Coastal Design: Revitalising Ports, Dikes, and Shorelines

Coastal areas face growing challenges due to climate change, rising sea levels, and environmental degradation. To address these, innovative projects like the Mumbles Coastal Protection Project in Wales are leading the way by integrating environmental protection into coastal design. This groundbreaking initiative has set new standards in sustainable coastal development, combining flood prevention with the promotion of marine biodiversity. Our company, RECKLI, acted as a key partner in the coastal scheme’s Mumbles Sea-Hive research project, and this post highlights some goals, challenges and innovative solutions leading to success.

A New Approach: Protecting Coastlines and Promoting Biodiversity

Traditional coastal defence strategies often focus solely on preventing flooding and erosion. However, the Mumbles Coastal Protection Projectseeks to harmonise two crucial goals: preserving the coastline and, with the help of its Sea-Hive element, fostering marine biodiversity in Swansea Bay. Here's how the coastal protection project aimed to achieve this:

• Promoting Marine Life: By using specially designed concrete slabs with intricate surface textures inspired by the Sea-Hive research, the coastal protection scheme is helping to create ideal conditions for marine organisms to thrive, thereby increasing biodiversity in the region.
• Sustainable Coastal Protection: The goal of the overall project is to not only protect the coast from rising sea levels and storm surges but also to develop a sustainable solution that works in sync with natural processes.
• Blueprint for Future Infrastructure: The coastal protection project aspires to become a blueprint for future eco-friendly coastal protection systems, combining ecological benefits with technical resilience.

Challenges in Combining Technology and Nature

Implementing a project like the Mumbles Coastal Protection Project– including the elements inspired by Sea-Hive research – has its fair share of hurdles. Coastal environments are dynamic and harsh, and creating infrastructure that is both robust and ecologically beneficial required overcoming several challenges. They include:

• Innovative Design: The concrete slabs inspired by the Sea-Hive research needed to feature complex surface textures that are durable enough to withstand harsh sea conditions, while also promoting the growth of marine life.
• Adapting to Varied Conditions: The sea wall in Mumbles is exposed to varying levels of immersion and wave forces, requiring designs that could function effectively across different environmental conditions. Several Formliners were tested, with the Kerry stone texture achieving one of the most positive effects.
• Long-Term Durability: Ensuring that the slabs inspired by Sea-Hive remain functional and environmentally friendly over many years is essential for the wider project’s sustainability.
• Collaborative Expertise: The success of the project, including its sustainability, relies on close collaboration between scientists, engineers, designers, construction companies, and local authorities, making teamwork and communication critical.
• Community Engagement: Gaining public support and raising awareness of the ecological benefits of the project were also key challenges that needed to be addressed.

Innovative Solutions and Collaborative Success

Addressing these challenges required innovation at every level, from design to material selection to execution. The sea defence project’s success lay in a carefully coordinated approach, with each aspect of the project tailored to meet both technical and environmental goals:

• Design and Material Innovation: At RECKLI, we played a crucial role in creating the concrete moulds used in the Sea-Hive research. These moulds inspired the design of surface structures that are now encouraging the settlement of marine organisms, while withstanding the demanding conditions of the sea. In close collaboration with scientists, we helped to design environmentally friendly and durable materials to ensure long-lasting protection.
• Environmental Adaptation: To maximize the future ecological effectiveness of the sea wall concrete test tiles were installed at various heights along the seawall during the Sea-Hive research phase, allowing different environmental conditions to be tested and the best surface designs identified.
• Ongoing Monitoring and Research: The test tiles were monitored for over a year to track the growth of marine life. This data helped refine the designs and contributed to the development of a sustainable coastal protection system.
• Collaboration and Communication: The project’s interdisciplinary collaboration allowed experts from various fields to work together, sharing knowledge and ensuring the achievement of both technical and ecological objectives.

RECKLI’s Contribution to Biodiversity and Coastal Stability

Our work at RECKLI focused on producing moulds that played a key role in the success of the Mumbles Sea-Hive Project. These concrete surfaces were specifically designed to foster the settlement of marine organisms, contributing to an increase in biodiversity in Swansea Bay. The designs will live on as part of the Mumbles Coastal Protection Project’s strengthened sea wall which will offer long-term protection for the coastline.

The Mumbles Coastal Protection Project – with its Sea-Hive designs - is a prime example of how targeted planning, cutting-edge technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration can significantly contribute to the health of our coastal ecosystems. It highlights a new era in coastal protection, one where sustainability and biodiversity work hand-in-hand to create a safer, more resilient future for our shorelines.

This project underscores the power of innovation in the quest for environmentally responsible coastal infrastructure—an approach that will undoubtedly inspire future initiatives around the world.