Hengistbury Head, England
The Hengistbury Head long groyne has been built in 1939. It plays a critical role in reducing coastal erosion and is a stabilizing feature of Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay. A detailed inspection of the long groyne in 2019 revealed that the structure, which was originally installed in 1939, was in a poor condition, which provided an associated risk of localized collapse. Therefor BCP Council has submitted a planning application for the repair and upgrade of the Hengistbury Head long groyne.
With the renovation of the long groyne, the BCP Council and Boskalis want to maximize their positive impact on the environment. By installing artificial reefs and Tidal Pools from ReefSystems, new habitats are created for both marine- and land-based wildlife.
For this project ReefSystems has delivered 25 artificial reefs and 8 Tidal Pools.
Stage 1: Demolition and reconstruction of old long groyne at Hengistbury Head
The existing concrete groyne has been dismantled. The work was carried out on short sections at a time to ensure beach material remained in place. The concrete material is crushed to form the core of the new long groyne. New rock armour will be placed on top in the same footprint as the existing groyne.
Stage 2: Construction of 20 deep reefs, 5 intertidal reefs and 8 Tidal Pools
Sustainable building starts with using sustainable quality concrete. The production facility of ReefSystems is based within the UrbanMine factory in Zaandam in the Netherlands. Here it is possible to produce products from recycled materials, but with the same quality, composition, and properties as concrete made from primary materials. The Urban Mine has 15 years of experience in recycling concrete from demolition debris and has developed and perfected the recycling process down to the smallest details with numerous patented innovations. For this project the Tidal Pools have been produced with recycled materials delivered by the Urban Mine and we are currently adjusting our production process for the MOSES reef-blocks, so that these can also be produced with recycled materials in the future.
Stage 3: Installation of reefs
More information coming soon.
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