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Multi Purpose Reefs

ASR is one of the few companies in the world developing innovative solutions for coastal protection that work in concert with natural processes rather than against them. We are also the only company in the world that is effectively incorporating elements into our coastal protection solutions that aim to improve surfing conditions rather than degrade them. As the global leader in the design and construction of Multi-Purpose Reefs, we are spearheading the environmentally sensitive future of coastal protection.

A Multi-Purpose Reef is a type of coastal structure that can reduce erosion, enhance marine habitat and provide a valuable recreational resource. The concepts behind our Multi-Purpose Reef designs are based on the observed and measured response of a shoreline to naturally occurring offshore reefs as well as to man-made structures positioned offshore.

The key to the effectiveness of a Multi-Purpose Reef is the formation of a salient – a wider, more stable section of a beach caused by the reef. This effect is a phenomenon that has been well documented and quantified in peer reviewed technical journals and coastal engineering manuals. ASR has merged these concepts with our understanding of marine systems and our pioneering work on the science of surfing to develop technology which will protect and stabilize the coastline, enhance marine ecology, and, where the natural conditions will allow, create an enhanced surfing experience.

The result of all this research and development is ASR’s Multi-Purpose Reef. When compared to traditional solutions like seawalls, Multi-Purpose Reefs have four distinct benefits:

  1. Reefs reduce and redirect the wave energy affecting the coast thereby reducing the erosional stress and stabilizing the shoreline
  2. Reefs provide a solid substrate which creates additional habitat for marine animals and promotes biodiversity and enhanced ecosystems
  3. Reefs create a recreational amenity for surfing, diving, and fishing
  4. Reefs are submerged and located offshore and therefore do not degrade the natural beauty of the beach (no ugly concrete walls!)

Multi-Purpose Reefs actually consider the value that beaches provide to local communities by serving to protect the beach itself. Seawalls and other forms of coastal armoring don’t actually protect the beach; they only protect the land behind it. Beaches are very valuable assets to communities that create a myriad of benefits both from a socio-economic and coastal protection standpoint. We strongly believe BEACHES SHOULD BE PROTECTED.

With the strain that humanity puts on the earth’s oceans marine systems, we need to be smarter about how we manage this critical natural resource. Given the amount of money that is spent worldwide on coastal protection each year, it is obvious to us that we should be protecting our beaches in ways that also help the environment.

Our Multi-Purpose Reefs are an innovative technology that use elements of ‘biomimicry’ to help protect our beaches. We strive to consider quality, sustainability, environmental and human health, and the long-term success of communities in everything we do. The development of Multi-Purpose Reefs has been pushed forward by the synergistic efforts of a wide range of experts including coastal scientists and engineers, biologists, planners and environmental managers, so that the coastal processes and the environmental implications can be fully described and accounted for. As a result, our designs are able to fulfill the demands of the coastal engineering industry while still considering the marine environment, beach users and the coastal community at large.