Coastal cities face rising sea levels and environmental challenges. A pioneering project in Miami shows how design and material innovation can support both resilience and biodiversity. The BIOCAP tiles—a 3D printed modular system—will soon be installed along the seawall at Morningside Park. These tiles aim to protect shorelines while creating habitats for marine life.

Design Inspired by Nature

Concrete seawalls block waves but often harm ecosystems. They create hard, flat surfaces that offer no shelter for marine organisms. In contrast, the BIOCAP (Biodiversity Improvement by Optimizing Coastal Adaptation and Performance) tiles feature shaded grooves, crevices, and water-holding pockets. These textured patterns mimic natural coastlines, providing homes for barnacles, oysters, sponges, and other marine species that filter water and improve ecosystem health.

The tiles’ organic shapes—featuring concave and convex surfaces—are designed to redirect wave energy. This reduces erosion and turbulence, helping to protect the shoreline. The textured surfaces also increase the available area for marine organisms to settle, creating a living, thriving wall.

3D Printed Concrete as a Functional Material

Each tile is made using robotic 3D printing. This technique allows precise control over shape and texture, enabling designs that interact with tidal conditions. While the tiles are made of concrete, a traditional material, their design makes them bioreceptive—supporting life rather than repelling it.

For architects, landscape designers, and product developers, this project offers inspiration for creating materials that are functional, sustainable, and ecologically beneficial. Future versions could explore low-carbon concrete or biobased materials to further reduce environmental impact.

Testing and Monitoring

The BIOCAP tiles will be monitored over a two-year period. Cameras will capture how marine life colonises the tiles. Sensors embedded in the tiles will measure water quality, tracking pH, oxygen levels, salinity, turbidity, and temperature. Pressure sensors will also record wave energy, comparing BIOCAP tiles to standard seawalls.

The research team at Florida International University (FIU)—a collaboration between architects and marine biologists—aims to prove that designing with nature can make coastal infrastructure more resilient and more biodiverse. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency, this project offers a model for other cities facing similar challenges.

A New Model for Resilient Design

The BIOCAP project shows how material design, advanced manufacturing, and ecological thinking can work together. For architects, landscape architects, and designers, it offers a compelling example of how to create nature-inclusive infrastructure that protects people and supports the environment.

Source: FIU