Shelving the urban coast with Vertipools

Vertipools are artificial rock pools designed as a versatile solution for creating new wildlife habitat, delivering net gains for biodiversity and creating new biomass on defended coasts and harbours across the urban marine environment. 

We, Arc Biodiversity & Climate, through our R&D department called ‘Artecology’ are the inventors & manufacturers of two cast concrete artificial habitat systems. Vertipools™️ are the result of a science and art cross discipline approach to solving real environmental problems. Arc Directors, ecologist Ian Boyd and sculptor Nigel George are the inventors and makers of the Vertipool™️ system.

In some cases the Vertipools even ecologically out perform the real rock pools on the foreshore!

First installed and trialed on Bouldnor sea defences on the north coast of the Isle of Wight in 2013 as part of a self styled research project we called ‘Shelving the Coast, our first ‘Bouldnor’ model Vertipool™️ array was the subject of a two year study by Dr Alice Hall from Bournemouth University. Dr Hall’s data proved beyond all doubt that Vertipools™️ work, across the board biodiversity and bio-abundance is far greater in, on and around the Vertipools™️ than anywhere else on the sea seawall they are fixed to, and in some cases the Vertipools even ecologically out perform the real rock pools on the foreshore! ‘Bouldnor’ model Vertipools™️ are triangular in shape, they measure 900mm across the back, 610mm top to tip, 400mm out from the wall. They hold about 10 litres of inter-tidal seawater and their triangular shape with keel-like front edge is designed to withstand highly dynamic wave conditions. Weighing in at approx 65kg the ‘Boulder’ is capable of supporting a huge array of marine and intertidal sea life inside and out. Great for mandatory ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ requirements plus more general ecological enhancements, this model can also support wildlife tourism, citizen science projects and the drive for blue carbon.

Today our Vertipool™ systems are known as beautiful innovative modular units designed to fit any hard engineered marine infrastructure.

They are currently being used across the UK and Europe successfully on sea walls, timber groynes, concrete beams, gabions and sheet piling. The units fit with conservation objectives for SAC, SPA, Ramsar, MCZ and SSSI and provide an effective adaptation to the challenge of sea-level rise. Vertipools™️ are cast in high-performance reduced carbon concrete and hand-finished to provide the surface complexity and ecological design to suit the host environment. This innovative solution delivers significant ecological enhancement to sea defences, ports, marinas and harbours and is a cost-effective way to boost biodiversity and build ecological interest for communities and tourism.

Vertipools™ have been evaluated by Bournemouth University through the work of Dr. Alice Hall on the ecology, and ecological enhancement of artificial coastal structures. We continue to work on new designs and models for biologically favourable built environments and nature-based solutions to coastal squeeze. Vertipools are currently at the centre of two European ecoengineering studies - 1) Ecostructure and 2) MARINEFF.

Vertipools in 2 minutes! - https://www.artecology.space/blog/2021/7/28/net-biodiversity-gain-gone-wild

More information

Email: nigel@arc-consulting.co.uk