Kind Designs installed the world’s first 3D-printed living seawall

Serra Utkum Ikiz
Serra Utkum Ikiz is a city planner, writer, and researcher who previously served as Managing Editor at Parametric Architecture. Her work explores cities through urbanism, politics,...

The company Kind Designs has installed the first-ever Living Seawall, created using 3D printing, in Pine Tree Drive Circle in Florida, United States.

While Miami’s coastline requires seawalls to prevent flooding, the Living Seawalls by Kind Designs offer more than just protection against environmental damage.

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They not only guard against erosion, flooding, storm surges, and sea-level rise but also actively contribute to enhancing the local marine environment. The Living Seawalls by Kind Designs are designed to support the requirements of local marine ecosystems while being installed along the shoreline.

Kind Designs
via Islander News

Living Seawalls are equipped with embedded sensors that are capable of measuring water quality across multiple parameters, up to 15 in total.

“We got two more robots, so we can triple production,” said Anya Freeman, the CEO of Kind Designs to NBC 6 South Florida. “We moved our warehouse on the river and went from a 5,000-square-foot warehouse to a 50,000-square-foot one. And we’re just focused on mass-producing the panels in Florida. Starting in South Florida, we’re really moving to Tampa — which is the second biggest seawall market — as well as Jacksonville by the end of the year.”

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Additionally, the seawalls play a significant role in monitoring the quality of the ocean. Also, as mentioned in the news, traditional molds take about 24 hours to create a 10-foot high seawall panel, while Kind Designs’ 3D printing method can produce the same panel in just an hour.

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Serra Utkum Ikiz is a city planner, writer, and researcher who previously served as Managing Editor at Parametric Architecture. Her work explores cities through urbanism, politics, everyday sociology, and emerging design trends, combining critical research with architectural and urban storytelling.
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