Can a seawall off a printer help with sea-level rise and rehabilitate the local ecosystem?

A Miami-based climate-tech startup producing eco-friendly, 3D-printed seawalls to protect coastal communities from rising sea-levels, is now installing its first seawall in Miami Beach.

Working with a Miami Beach homeowner who purchased the living seawall, Kind Design which prints Living Seawalls™️ that mimic coral reefs and mangroves, is installing the seawall in the Pine Tree Drive Circle, NBC 6 Miami reported.

According to the report, the unidentified homeowner purchased the living seawall specifically to help the environment.

On its website, Kind Designs says their Living Seawalls uses 3D-Printing technology to print seawalls that mimic coral reefs and mangroves, hosting biodiversity and improving the quality of water. The Living Seawalls sequester carbon and collect essential water quality data through embedded sensors.

Same as traditional seawalls, In Kinds Living Seawalls are placed underwater and acts as an artificial reef with the grooves and nature-like shapes in the design along allowing marine life to live among the wall, which mimics the structure of mangrove roots, as well as protect the land from erosion, flooding, and storm surges, helping counteract sea-level rise.

The NBC 6 Miami report says Kind Design price-matches the cost of traditional seawall. Doc Marine Construction is the company chosen to install the Miami Beach seawall.

For the complete NBC 6 Miami report, click here.