Living Breakwaters
Staten Island, New York, U.S.A.
The south shore of Staten Island was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In addition to damaging the local community and economy, the storm destroyed much of the onshore and marine ecosystems, opening critical estuaries and bays in the area to further risk of disappearing within decades.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Rather than cutting coastal communities off from the water with levees or a sea walls, an innovative proposal called Living Breakwaters by landscape architecture firm SCAPE and a team of scientists embraces the water and its economic and recreational opportunities, using shallow water landscapes to stabilize the shoreline and rebuild its diverse habitats.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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The plan will use breakwaters – rocky, sloped walls that extend above the water line but placed within the water column -- to mitigate destructive wave energy. This design is expected to protect local communities from extreme weather. The breakwaters are coupled with designed “reef streets” that will ecologically benefit from calmer waters.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Dunes that will be created by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation will be protected from erosion by the breakwater system. Because of the lower wave velocity with the new approach, seawalls can incorporate living marsh plants and creatures.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Breakwaters are coupled with reef streets that mimic the original reef habitat of the bay. They are designed to host oysters, lobsters, and juvenile fish, which will also create opportunities for locals to see and harvest the sea life.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Econcrete, an innovative low pH concrete mix for maritime construction, is formed into special units that line the reef streets. Their composition of surface textures is proven to entice sea creatures to live there.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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A network of “water hubs” connect people to the water and encourage swimming, kayaking, and boogie-boarding in the calm water behind the breakwaters. The hubs will provide bathrooms and water fountains, as well as space for a range of activities suggested by local community groups.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Living Breakwaters will involve nearby schools in waterfront environmental education and reef restoration. Local schools can use the water hubs for hands-on science-based education and maritime skill building.
Photo: SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
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Project Facts
- In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which struck the New York City area in 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Rebuild by Design competition. A proposal called Living Breakwaters, which won $60 million in the competition, is an innovative coastal ecological restoration pilot designed to boost local resilience and also educate the local community about the value of dune and reef ecosystems along the south shore of Staten Island.
- Living Breakwaters, which began in 2015, will reduce risk for coastal communities, build reef habitat for oysters and fish, and create opportunities for waterfront stewardship and recreation.
- Living Breakwaters will incorporate a set of breakwaters, which are marine sloped rock formations. They do not keep water out. However, they have the ability to calm water, reduce wave heights, and prevent shoreline erosion.
- Using a computerized model, landscape architects and scientists found that had breakwaters existed in the area when Hurricane Sandy hit, wave heights would have been reduced by four feet.
- The first phase will be used to study the ecological benefits, wave reduction impacts, and economic and recreational potential of the breakwaters.
- The Billion Oyster Project and the New York Harbor School are important partners of Living Breakwaters. The Billion Oyster Project plans to restore one-billion live oysters to New York Harbor over the next 20 years while educating thousands of youth in the region about the ecology and the economy of their local marine environment.
PROJECT TYPE
- Urban
- Re-development Plan
- Waterfront
- Beach
- Bay
- Estuary
Environmental Benefits
- Restores Biodiversity
- Creates Habitat for Wildlife
- Prevents Erosion
- Improves Resilience
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