Coastal habitats are dynamic environments. As a result, constructing a coastal project comes with a distinctive set of challenges. Climate change, global warming and loss of biodiversity all pose significant risks to our coastal areas.
That’s why it’s crucial to keep these aspects in mind during your coastal project, as rising sea levels, storm surges and erratic tidal patterns continue to impact us in varying degrees.
Additionally, any coastal construction project needs to take into account various environmental factors, compliance with environmental laws, and its subsequent impact on the coastal area to minimise negative effects. Since coastal areas tend to harbour delicate ecosystems, it becomes vital to design & construct your coastal project with resilience, energy efficiency and sustainability in mind.
For this reason, we bring you the 8 key factors you need to consider for your next coastal construction project.
1. Challenges & environmental concerns
Climate change isn’t something we can erase away with a magic wand. It’s a reality that’s here to stay. This means you have to factor in all possible climate change scenarios when planning your construction.
From changes in weather patterns & tides to coastal erosion to rising sea levels, flooding, and storm surges, everything needs to be a part of your initial plan.
To begin with an effective construction strategy, it’s crucial to understand the challenges unique to coastal areas. A quick environmental risk assessment can be a helpful tool. This should give you a fairly good amount of information and crucial data to plan your next steps. It’ll also help to see if your budget is sufficient to accommodate risk mitigation plans.
2. Risk-Mitigation
One of the best strategies to mitigate the risk of coastal erosion is to invest in top-quality aggregates for coastal defence measures. By using the aggregates for breakwaters, beach nourishment, revetments or seawalls, you can significantly mitigate the risk of damage.
It’d be helpful to note that coastal construction projects largely focus on durability and resilience as their key features. It would therefore be sensible to choose the most sustainable and natural materials possible. Not only will they be best suited to the sensitive coastal area, they will harmonise better with the natural environment.
3. Worker safety
Coastal terrains are often difficult to navigate given the unpredictability of natural elements at play. Construction work can therefore be risky, and worker safety is an important thing to consider. It can be helpful to keep your workers living near the worksite. This can be easily managed by installing site accommodation units.
These are designed to withstand the challenges of rough construction environments and are often made with durable materials. These days you’ll also find green companies that make eco-friendly yet sturdy site accommodation units. Their goal is to reduce power consumption, wastage and environmental damage. Choose one that’s right for your budget and project needs.
4. Resilience, Durability & Sustainability
Sustainability is going to play an important role in developing climate resilience. When it comes to the construction of your coastal project, it would dictate everything from laying the right foundation and method of construction to the durability of materials used. The goal is to build and develop your project sustainably and to keep environmental impact to a minimum.
As mentioned before, resilience and durability are two key considerations for any coastal project. The project’s architectural and engineering aspects should allow the project to not only be built for long-term resilience but also help it thrive in its natural environment. These may include incorporating nature-based designs & solutions that boost structural integrity, flood protection and climate-friendly technology.
5. Importance of Monitoring
It’s of the utmost importance to assess how your project affects the environment while work is still in progress. This will allow you to minimise damage and make necessary changes. Having a robust coastal management plan begins with monitoring & evaluating potential risks and understanding the project’s impact on the coastal area.
Lucky for us, advances in technology have significantly improved monitoring & evaluation tools today. Usage of drones and laser scans or using survey tools to conduct topographical studies are fairly common now. This allows you to monitor your project’s construction worksite more accurately and helps yield invaluable data. Thereby allowing you to plan your construction better.
6. Designing for harmony
Artistic structures and futuristic designs are all the trend now but these are best avoided in sensitive coastal areas. Your project will most likely alter the look of at least a portion of the coastline. This makes it crucial for you to ensure that your design is an aesthetically pleasing addition. Since dystopian design structures and jarring colours may look rather misplaced.
Instead, consider using natural, neutral colours that blend in. Adding green spaces, i.e., planting hardy trees (typically found near coastal areas), strategically along the project’s area will provide an aesthetically pleasing design element. It’ll also help mitigate risks arising from soil erosion and also act as a natural draining system.
7. Involving the community
Locals are the heart and soul of coastal communities. They are also the first in line to feel both the positive & negative impacts of your project. As a result, your project has to be sustainable, accessible and, most importantly, inclusive. If workers are your greatest resource, the community is your greatest strength. They bring with them a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom about the area.
Their unique lifestyle along the coastal area will also aid you in better understanding the environment surrounding your project. Their insights on local weather, materials and beliefs will help you build your project as organically as possible. Getting the community involved is also a great way to get their support.
8. A handy checklist
The factors listed above can act as a guide to help you with your coastal project. Rest assured, as you navigate the coastal landscape, there will be additional things you’ll come across that would need to be included. Some of these are listed below and could be considered as a handy checklist for your coastal project:
- Elevation level
- Structural audits
- Accessibility
- Future-proofing for changes in weather systems
- Energy efficiency
- Low carbon footprint
- Waste management
- Natural ventilation systems
Conclusion
All coastal projects cannot be measured against the same standards and guidelines. Topographical conditions will vary from coast to coast. Consequently, the climate patterns too. The issues covered in this article are by no means exhaustive. However, they are a great starting point.
By keeping these tips in mind and carefully planning for the environment, you can effectively ensure the success of your coastal project.
