How artificial reefs are restoring marine life with Alex Goad

For the duration of Every Living Thing at MPavilion, Reef Design Lab are taking to the pond to install one of their Modular Artificial Reef Structures—a tower of cascading nodules that’s designed to encourage the restoration of marine life impacted by dynamite fishing and climate change.
Ahead of the installation, we sat down with founder and industrial designer Alex Goad to explore the role of artificial reefs as targeted restoration tools, a smarter way of using concrete in the ocean, and his collaborations with leading marine science organisations to create a more sustainable future underwater.
Tell us about the evolution of MARS (Modular Artificial Reef System) and what kind of impact it’s having on marine restoration?
It’s essentially like Lego underwater. It’s a way of building up reef substrate using divers and swimmers instead of using barges and cranes. MARS started as my Industrial Design honours year project at Monash University. Diving around the bay, I was always interested in the submerged artificial structures that become productive ecosystems.
For example, sunken ships like the Cerberus at Half Moon Bay, or any of our pier structures in Port Phillip Bay are artificial structures that have been introduced and become effective marine ecosystems. You see kelp, sponges and corals growing on the surface, all harbouring marine life. That’s what inspired me to start researching the field of artificial reefs.
MARS II is about much more than just increasing fishery stock. Areas of South East Asia have experienced dynamite fishing where explosives are used to collect fish on mass, destroying entire reef structures. The installation of MARS units in these areas provides the necessary substrate that coral and marine life needs to recover. The MARS II units have been designed so that the system can be manufactured on-site by a small group of locals. Its modularity means that MARS II has a far-reaching environmental impact without requiring major construction efforts.
You have a background as an artist and sculptor as well as an industrial designer – how does this influence the work that you do at Reef Design Lab?
Before studying industrial design, I was always engaged in sculpture. Starting Reef Design Lab allowed me to give my sculpture utility. It was a way of using one passion to give back to the marine environment that I also cherished. My love for design enabled me to combine these passions into products that have lasting impact whilst echoing the artistic sensibilities of my early sculpture work.
We start with a sketch, which evolves into a 3D model, which is then materialised using more traditional ceramic methods. We control the whole production line; everyone who works here understands the entire process. This way we all become better designers. I love being in the workshop, building and testing things, working with my hands.
What do you see as the possibilities and limitations of artificial systems like MARS?
There is a misconception that organic reefs could be artificially replicated in entirety. The reef systems of our world are massive and ancient, protecting them remains the priority. Artificial reef systems have incredible power in targeted restoration efforts but should not be thought of as replacements or alternatives.
But we can also reconsider how our already existing built environment interacts with the marine. Piers and sea walls provide a massive opportunity to ease the transition of artificial to natural. ‘Living Sea Walls’ is our proud collaboration with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Macquarie University. We have designed organically surfaced panels that decorate the side of sea walls. Their biomimetic design creates microhabits whilst adding visual interest to the coast.
Something I’m really passionate about is coastal protection as well. We did a great project with Geelong City Council recently where we created these large sculptural modules that were designed to be a wave break. These were designed to sit out from the shoreline and break up wave energy to avoid continued erosion along our coasts.
Traditionally, these structures might be made out of rocks or concrete blocks. But if we need to construct them, why not make the units beautiful and ecologically informed? This has a multi-benefit approach where we have created, quite literally, an underwater garden that can be snorkelled.
Like MPavilion 10 designed by Tadao Ando, MARS II is made using concrete. What is your take on this controversial material? How do you balance its functionality with concerns about its environmental impact?
I firmly believe that concrete is unsustainable material in the context of irresponsible overuse. However we wanted to create a structure that would last at least a hundred years. Concrete has incredible longevity, especially underwater that materials like mycelium cannot replicate.
There’s a lot of research that looks at supplementary cement materials that can lower that carbon footprint such as calcine clays and furnace slag. However there are still issues with sand and rock and quarrying and the energy around that.
MARS II is a lattice which is one of the strongest shapes in geometry that uses the least amount of material. We can build quite a large structure that is maybe three meters cubed and it will only use about 1000 kilos of material. Ultimately, it’s more about reconsidering concrete in productive, rather than destructive, ways.
The MARS II system displayed in the pavilion will later be installed at Port Phillip Bay – can you tell us more about that project?
We’re installing the MARS II system in the intertidal zone for the first time. We’re super excited about this project as it will help us answer some key questions. Could the MARS system be used to break up wave energy in a temperate environment? Could the system offer coastal protection for low-lying islands, taking advantage of minimal material construction? Together with Geelong City Council, we’re excited to unite the MARS II unit with the already installed EMU (Erosion Mitigation Unit) structures, adding more dimension to this underwater garden.
What do you hope visitors will take away from the installation at MPavilion?
It’ll be a great way to introduce people to this field of work. If you’re not familiar with this industry and the work people do to rebuild marine habitats, it’ll be a great conversation piece. I hope visitors are encouraged to explore the marine world, and that it can inspire them to go for a snorkel in the bay and look under a pier or two.
Whilst our MARS II units are designed for tropical coral reefs, our temperate Port Phillip environment harbours incredible and unique marine life like sponges and seaweed that I hope more people can appreciate.
To find out more check out MARS II by Reef Design Lab a real-life artificial reef structure at MPavilion and Designing Habitats with Reef Design Lab to hear from Alex Goad of Reef Design Lab as he discusses their approach to designing ecological habitats for biodiversity.