DARPA's REEFENSE Program: SEAHIVE – Sustainable Estuarine and Marine Revetment
Summary
SEAHIVE® is an advanced marine and estuarine protection system featuring perforated hexagonal prismatic elements engineered to dissipate wave energy through internal turbulence. Beyond its primary role in mitigating erosion and flooding through wave attenuation, SEAHIVE®’s eco-friendly geometry is intentionally designed to foster marine biodiversity and habitat complexity. As surging or breaking waves pass through the lateral perforations, energy is neutralized within the structure, while the resulting interconnected channels provide critical habitat and protection for marine life. Grounded in ecological engineering principles, the system enhances biocompatibility through structural complexity, intentional surface roughness, and the use of biophilic concrete mixtures with non-corrosive reinforcement. A key advantage of the SEAHIVE system is its adaptability; the geometry and configuration can be tuned to meet the specific hydrodynamic and ecological requirements of different sites and environmental conditions. The development of the system is rooted in morphological analysis and physical testing at the University of Miami’s SUrge STructure Atmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) Facility, supplemented by material studies and numerous community pilot installations. Initially funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) - IDEA Project 213, 2019-2022 - in collaboration with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the system has since been integrated into major research initiatives such as DARPA’s REEFense program. To ensure versatile fabrication, the units can be manufactured using various methods, ranging from traditional wet casting to innovative concrete 3D-printing. Currently, the technology is licensed to FSC Technologies Inc. for production via dry casting and external wrapping, and to 1Print LLC, which utilizes 3D-printing for fabrication.
Related papers:
- S. Lamsal, B. Haus, L. Rhode-Barbarigos, "An experimental study on wave transmission over submerged SEAHIVE® breakwaters", Coastal Engineering Journal, 1-13, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/21664250.2026.2661171
- B.K. Norris, B.G. Reguero, J. Bartolai, M.A. Yukish, L. Rhode-Barbarigos, B.K. Haus, G. Barajas Ojeda, M. Maza, J.L. Lara, M.W. Beck, "Designing modular, artificial reefs for both coastal defense and coral restoration; Coastal Engineering", 199, 104742, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2025.104742
- N. Hosseinzadeh, M. Ghiasian, E. Andiroglu, J. Lamere, L. Rhode-Barbarigos, J. Sobczak, K. Sullivan Sealey, P. Suraneni, "Concrete Seawalls: Load Considerations, Ecological Performance, Durability, and Recent Innovations", Ecological Engineering, 178, 106573, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106573
- M. Ghiasian, J. Carrick, C. Bisson, B. Haus, A. Baker, D. Lirman, L. Rhode-Barbarigos, "Laboratory quantification of the relative contribution of staghorn coral skeletons in the total wave-energy dissipation provided by an artificial coral reef", Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 9(9), 1007, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9091007
- M. Ghiasian, J. Carrick, L. Rhode-Barbarigos, B. Haus, A. Baker, D. Lirman, "Dissipation of wave energy by a hybrid artificial reef in a wave simulator: implications for coastal resilience and shoreline protection", Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 19 (1), 1-7, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10400
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