Coral Reef Flood Protection and Coral Growth Typology

Abstract

One of the main consequences of our actions as humans is the ever increasing force of climate change and the many natural disasters that come as a result of it. A major threat to the stability of our cities and societies is that of rising sea level and the resulting coastal flooding. A city that has began to think of solutions is the city of Boston, pushing them to form an initiative known as “Climate Ready Boston”. The issue of both coastal and storm water flooding are highlighted by this initiative and are addressed with a proposed solution.

This project explores the use of natural buffer systems as a source of knowledge to be applied to a coastal protection typology. The element of nature chosen to be studied in this thesis is the coral and more specifically, how the form and material of coral reefs are able to mitigate the damages of incoming waves as a result of storm surges.

The form and materiality of the coral reefs are translated into a modular coastal protection typology that can be applied on any coast. However, the project places the typology on the coast of Dorchester, MA due to the high level of sea level rise and therefore, flooding events that will occur in the short, middle, and longer terms in the region. The area relies on a resilient harbor front to thrive, due to the saturation of the inland zones by residential areas. As a result, protection of the water front access pathways is crucial since they also align with the flooding inundation pathways. Hence, this project zooms in on one of the inundation pathways and places the typology in that region.

The aims of the intervention are to not only mitigate flooding, but to also use the materiality of limestone in order to regrow a coral reef in the longer timescale. This in turn helps achieve the goal of increasing biodiversity. This thesis therefore translates a natural system to protect both humans, as well as promote healthier and protected habitats for the betterment of coastal marine life.