Explore the mangrove project at Altona Coastal Park with Reef Design Lab and Melbourne University National Centre for Coast and Climate as they investigate ‘hybrid coastal defence’ by mass-planting Victoria’s native southern mangrove species inside specially designed planters.

Exploring the use of natural habitats to reduce wave height and accumulate sand, custom-designed mangrove planters have been integrated with direct planting of mangrove seeds. The planters aim to reduce wave energy to help the small mangroves grow. As the mangroves get bigger, they can reduce wave height and accumulate sediment themselves, protecting the foreshore from erosion.

Alex Goad

Alex is an industrial designer and founder of Reef Design Lab. His work investigates how we can design for marine ecosystems and he is currently collaborating with marine ecologists on a range of research-based design projects. Combining 3D printing with traditional manufacturing to achieve complex geometric outcomes at scale is a particular focus of his personal and RDL studio.

Rebecca Morris

Rebecca Morris is a marine scientist at the University of Melbourne. She is a lecturer in the School of BioSciences. Rebecca leads the Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Lab, and is Theme Leader of Eco-engineering at the National Centre for Coasts and Climate. Her research focuses on nature-based solutions for the management of erosion and flooding along the coast.

Photos: © Chuan Jiang.

Join us on this coastal ‘wading tour’ and explore the mangrove project at Altona Coastal Park.

Waterfront is proudly presented by Centre for Architecture Victoria | Open House Melbourne, in partnership with Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and East Gippsland Shire Council. Waterfront is part of Melbourne Design Week 2021, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.