The Living Seawall

Living Seawall is an interdisciplinary collaboration to open a broader conversation on the current crisis of pollution of the ocean with plastics. Scientists at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and the car manufacturer Volvo worked together with Reef Design Lab to create 3D printed tiles that mimic the root structure of native mangrove trees to create viable marine habitats. This aids biodiversity and attracts filter-feeding organisms that absorb and filter out pollutants – such as particulate matter and heavy metals – keeping the water ‘clean’.