WSP engineers completed the coastal engineering design of the rock revetment and worked closely with the client to identify a viable, local source of heavy quarried rock, known as armour stone.
All up, 100 living pod units were craned into position. They sit snugly among two thick layers of armour stone. Because the units weigh more than the individual armour stones, they could be used instead of armour stone in areas of the seawall with gentler gradients.
The yet-to-be-completed project landscape design features a wide footpath with planting and concrete stairs set into the seawall. It’s here that the public will have the opportunity to get up close to the living pods. Featuring deep, curved voids, the pods retain water as the tide goes out.
Specifying the pod units in the seawall blueprints was one thing; getting them manufactured and brought to site was another altogether. After canvassing options, WSP’s design and engineering team recommended Living Seawall Boulder units developed by Australia’s Reef Design Lab and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.