Graduation of Evelien van den Brekel

Hydrodynamic and ecological performance of a new modular unit for living breakwaters - Wave flume experiments and results

• Professor of graduation: Prof. dr. ir. Marcel van Gent (TU Delft)

• Supervisors graduation: Prof. dr. Bas Hofland (TU Delft), Prof dr ir Alessandro Antonini (TU Delft), Ir. Jaime Ascencio (Reefy)

 

Living breakwaters are designed to protect the coast against flooding and erosion, whilst at the same time they enhance the local ecological system by incorporating natural reef components. This study investigates the design of a modular artificial reef developed by the company called Reefy. Reefy breakwaters will consist of interlocking blocks with holes inside and rounded corners. For the configuration of the breakwater no proper design guidelines exist yet which incorporate both the hydrodynamic and ecological functionalities, as both this field of engineering and this reef system are relatively new. Therefore, this study aims to provide insight and develop preliminary design guidance on how to design a hybrid living breakwater from Reefy blocks under wave loading.