A project using ECOncrete’s tidepools gathers international recognition

The fifth OBEL AWARD architecture prize was awarded to the Living Breakwaters project in Staten Island, New York, for its radical breakwaters design, and its community- and ecosystems-driven approach to adaptation.

In 2012, Staten Island’s south shore was one of the hardest hit areas by Hurricane Sandy. Significant exposure to wave action, dredging, and oyster reef over-harvesting have left the shoreline vulnerable to erosion and flooding. The Living Breakwaters project, led by SCAPE Landscape Architects studios, proposes a series of eight detached breakwaters that will reduce risk, restore ecosystems, and connect the public to nature.

Eight breakwaters are under construction. A total of 600 ECOncrete Armor Blocks and 800 Tide Pools were integrated into the project design to provide ecological enhancement to support local species. The technology helps to build up local marine life, supporting the food chain for top predators, such as seals, and mitigating climate change by storing carbon in calcifying organisms, such as oysters.

The OBEL AWARD, sponsored by the Henrik F. Obel Foundation, with a bursary of 100,000 €, recognizes talent, creativity, and responsibility and offers an incentive to architects and other professionals to consider their obligations toward the common good. The international award is presented to projects that promote architecture in the service of both people and the planet.

Each year, the OBEL AWARD jury establishes a particular focus for the prize, always keeping in mind the constant overall goals of the award. The 2023 theme was adaptation.

Visit the Living Breakwaters project website for more information.