Award

Protection of coastal communities and military installations from storms and hurricanes is an urgent critical need, especially in the light of sea-level rise. Conventional concrete infrastructure, which is prone to corrosion and cracking is not adequate for this purpose. Thus, this Phase II project aims to develop the next-generation of green-gray coastal protection systems, by 3D concrete printing SEAHIVEÖ units. SEAHIVEÖ is an engineered marine and estuarine protection system consisting of interlocking perforated hexagonal prismatic elements, similar to concrete pipe. We are a team consisting of University of Miami, Titan Florida, Carbon Limit, and led by 1Print, a concrete 3D printing start-up with a focus on coastal infrastructure. Our feasibility testing has shown that we are able to 3D print units and clusters of SEAHIVEÖ of various size, using concrete that has carbon capture additives. For Phase II, our aim is to design, analyze and optimize 3D printed shoreline protection solutions; test sustainable, resilient, and biocompatible materials; develop best construction and deployment practices, and deploy two full pilot projects for offshore and near-shore products. Risk and risk mitigation strategies have been carefully thought out by the team. The data obtained from the two pilots will prove invaluable to show technical feasibility at scale. This strong team, led by Mr. Adam Friedman, has decades of experience on concrete, sustainability, 3D printing, coastal infrastructure, and is confident of success. Our success has important implications for the DOD: the 3D printing solution has important advantages when considering rapid deployment towards reconstruction after natural disasters, given the ease of deployment and the potential for the use of indigenous materials. We envision that in the future, upon technology maturation, SEAHIVEÖ units could even be designed and 3D printed with high/ultra-high performance concrete, which have superior resistance to underwater blasts. Both the 3D printing and coastal protection markets are large, in the billions of dollars, and are growing rapidly. We occupy a niche market space, and are financed through a private investor. We have already received an Intent to ĀĀĀ ĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀ Award from Okaloosa County, demonstrating that we have a product that could be accepted by the market and that is ready for commercialization.