A massive 3D-printed sculpture is to be placed underwater in Florida.
The project is undertaken by The Reefline, a nonprofit organization based in Miami that intends to restore the underwater environment in the area. They explain:
“In Miami, we are not just imagining new possibilities—we are rebuilding what once was. Through a carefully curated masterplan, we install hybrid reef structures/environmental artworks that double as natural habitats, offering corals a stable ground to regenerate and marine life a place to thrive.”
Their first phase of the The ReefLine project involves 3D printing, and is set to complete later this year. As described, it is a hybrid reef structures/environmental artwork called “Concrete Coral” by artist Leandro Erlich.
The ReefLine explains the project:
“This submerged reincarnation of Leandro Erlich’s celebrated Order of Importance (2019) will install a life-size, traffic jam of twenty-two concrete car modules for sealife to colonize. Symbolically reversing the effect our actual cars have on the environment, these sculptures will contribute to restoring damaged natural habitats.”
The sculpture will be composed of no less than 22 concrete “cars” that will be submerged 20ft (7 m) underwater off the Miami coast. The arrangement of the concrete vehicles will resemble a traffic jam, something often seen on shore nearby.
Are the cars 3D printed in concrete? Not exactly. They are concrete objects cast into 3D-printed molds, a common building technique.
The cars will not be simply dumped into the water, as the project intends to create a new coral reef using them as a base. The cars are designed with a special fixture called “Coral Lok” where live corals can be mounted. These would presumably grow and spread over and around the sculpture over a long period of time, attracting wildlife and plants.
This is quite an interesting project, and it’s only phase one of several phases to this project.
Via The ReefLine and DesignBoom
