Innovation born from urgency
Fort Lauderdale’s New River region has a long history of transformation—from inland lakes to navigable canals. But with rising seas, aging infrastructure, and declining water quality, our community faces a new challenge: how to protect property without sacrificing the health of our marine environment.
The Living Seawall Initiative was created to do both.
A unique site for a bold solution
The Church by the Sea sits on a narrow canal where traditional living shorelines aren’t feasible. Instead of a flat concrete replacement, we’re building a vertical reef seawall using king and batter construction and 3D-printed relief panels from KindDesigns.
It’s the first living seawall to fully integrate habitat features directly into the structure itself—offering both ecological performance and engineering efficiency.
This seawall is designed to:
Meet Broward County’s updated tidal barrier requirements
Eliminate the need for steel or vinyl
Encourage biodiversity and long-term restoration
Inspire other coastal communities to innovate
Renderings and real-time construction updates will show how this technology evolves from concept to impact.
