Reefs 'R Us - You can now save them!
Donation protected
Hi! We are Nadia Fani and Astrid Kramer and with our company Coastruction we 3D print sustainable artificial reef structures for coral reef restoration.
Our mission
Coral reefs are under severe pressure due to climate change, pollution, unsustainable fishing methods and coastal development. The decline of healthy reefs has major impacts, not just on people, flora and fauna but also on economic resources.
Low-lying coastal communities such as the islands of the Maldives, Caribbean and South-East Asia directly depend on the protection and nutrition these reefs provide.
Reefs are an essential chain in all of the world’s oceans. Worldwide reef scientists, governments, NGO’s, and local communities are working extremely hard to find and breed resistant coral colonies, fight the global causes of this decline, protect and maintain existing reefs and re-build damaged reefs. Coastruction now joins this mission.
Low-lying coastal communities such as the islands of the Maldives, Caribbean and South-East Asia directly depend on the protection and nutrition these reefs provide.
Reefs are an essential chain in all of the world’s oceans. Worldwide reef scientists, governments, NGO’s, and local communities are working extremely hard to find and breed resistant coral colonies, fight the global causes of this decline, protect and maintain existing reefs and re-build damaged reefs. Coastruction now joins this mission.
How? This is what we have in mind:
Our solution
By innovating the technology of powder bed 3D printing we provide hard substrate that corals like to settle on. Our product differs from existing artificial reef solutions since it has the unique combination of:
- Natural materials: we only use water, sand and cement and no chemical additives.
- Freedom of material: we can use local material such as sand from the nearest beach or recycled concrete.
- Working without waste. We work without molds and re-use all excess material in our own product.
- Freedom of shape: this allows us to create habitat for as many key species as we want in one design.
- Inclusiveness: The possibility to work right at the project site, reduce transport emissions and involve the local community.
- A circular process: creating concrete structures with re-used concrete that can capture CO2. A chemical reaction stores the CO2 forever in the structure.
Time to scale up
We have built our prototype printer Idefix (see below) that can print small structures of 12x15x15 cm and now it is time to scale up and build Asterix: a mobile printer that can print reef modules up to 1 m3 with the unique combination of the advantages mentioned above.
There is only one problem. To build Asterix we need money, but in order to make money, we need a printer. The valley of death, a common problem for start-ups so we have heard. We therefore ask your help.
Building Asterix and doing the first pilot project costs € 300.000. With this amount we can build the printer (€ 175.000), test the reef modules for strength and stability in a wave flume (€25.000), restore 50 m2 of reef (€ 75.000) at our pilot location with our local partner and have them monitor the colonization of corals and reef organisms for 2 years (€ 25.000).
Will you help us help the reefs? Your help can make the difference!
Thank you so much. We are forever grateful.
Nadia and Astrid
Organizer
Nadia Fani
Organizer
Vlaardingen