Construction projects in coastal areas come with unique challenges, as climate change and global warming continue to bring in increasingly disruptive and harsher weather conditions. Sensitive coastal zones are already grappling with soil erosion and habitat degradation.
As a result, regular building materials may not always be the best choice under these conditions and may lead to premature deterioration and costly repairs. This prompted the need for specific materials and engineering innovations in the construction industry, specially designed for coastal construction.
Fortunately, with advancements in coastal construction materials, you can now be better equipped to tackle these challenges more effectively.
In this article, we’ll discuss how choosing the right coastal construction materials can improve the durability and longevity of your coastal projects.
Coastal Construction Challenges
Unlike typical buildings using standard building materials, projects in coastal areas require more durable materials that help prevent issues like coastal erosion.
For instance, if you’re building a coastal access path, sourcing natural, self-binding material from a Norfolk hoggin quarry can easily offer both durability and permeability, which can be great for high-moisture environments.
Using natural materials like marine aggregates and natural stone cladding can also provide structural stability for your coastal projects. They’re ideal for improving durability and longevity in the face of extreme weather conditions like storms, floods, and high winds, which are typical in coastal areas.
Additionally, coastal defence projects also often face increased scrutiny and have to comply with more environmental regulations than typical construction projects. That’s why these projects need to use high-quality coastal construction materials that meet regulatory requirements and are sourced responsibly.
Salt-Resistant Materials
The weather in coastal areas is generally high in salt, moisture, and humidity. These weather conditions speed up the corrosion of regular building materials, which can affect the structural integrity of a project and hamper sustainable coastal management.
To tackle saltwater corrosion effectively, consider using marine-grade alloys or stainless steel in your structures. You can also use galvanised steel and copper as coastal construction materials. These are expected to continue to gain popularity as we look towards the future of construction in coastal areas.
Other salt-resistant materials you can consider using are cement renders and additives like fly ash or silica. These construction materials are commonly used in coastal areas as they’re resistant to saltwater damage. You can add these to concrete mixes to enhance their waterproofing properties and reduce permeability.
Wind and Water Resilience
Another reason why constructing buildings in coastal areas can be challenging is that they’re constantly prone to floods and storm surges. Using durable coastal construction materials is essential for building projects that face the risk of flooding and high winds. It’s also equally important to implement design measures that allow for elevated structures.
Constructing flood-prone buildings on high stilts can be helpful in this regard, as they provide height and elevation. This can be an effective preventive measure to protect buildings from structural damage that may be caused by crashing waves. Elevating your coastal buildings can also reduce the risk of mould growth. Experts suggest that raising coastal buildings is an effective response to rising sea levels due to global warming.
Aside from facing challenges such as soil erosion, rising waters, and flooding, construction projects in coastal areas also have to consider measures to withstand high winds and storms.
You can consider using modern roofing materials like synthetic tiles or coated asphalt shingles to weatherproof your coastal building project. These construction materials used in coastal areas are wind-resistant and relatively low-maintenance, making them a viable solution for storm-prone areas.
Composite Materials
Composite materials are ideal for coastal areas as they have strong, water-resistant properties. So, unsurprisingly, they’ve been widely adopted and used extensively in the coastal construction industry.
As a widely used coastal construction material, composite materials offer superb durability and have the advantage of being lightweight yet high-strength.
Construction materials used in coastal areas have to be resistant to saltwater corrosion and sustainable for long-term use. Composite materials fit the bill, with a well-known ability to withstand rough coastal weather.
They’re also low-maintenance, making them one of the increasingly popular coastal construction materials. Carbon fibre reinforced polymer, wood plastic composites, and glass fibre reinforced concrete are a few examples of the composites used in the coastal construction industry.
Emerging Trends in Coastal Construction
As the construction industry continues to prioritise meeting net-zero targets, construction projects in coastal areas are embracing newer technologies in a bid to boost sustainability. The goal is to tackle the challenges arising from climate change and global warming, contributing to better environmental outcomes.
Using sustainable coastal construction materials is key for improving the resilience of coastal building projects. While marine aggregates and recycled aggregates continue to dominate as popular building materials in coastal construction, businesses are also encouraged to use innovative solutions like composite materials.
If you’re keen to put sustainability first in your coastal construction projects, consider using recycled building materials, composites, and green construction practices and technologies that regulate thermal temperature to reduce energy consumption. Regenerative design, which uses energy and water systems to mimic the natural world’s ecosystem, can also be a helpful addition to any coastal construction project.
To Sum Up
Building projects in coastal areas come with unique challenges. However, these challenges can be tackled with durable materials like marine aggregates, as well as innovative strategies for sustainable construction.
Newer construction materials used in coastal areas can help protect the natural environment from soil erosion, saltwater corrosion, and potential habitat loss. They also contribute to longer lifespans for infrastructure, reducing the need for frequent repairs or material replacements.
As coastal development continues to evolve, using the right materials from the start will become increasingly essential. Making informed choices based on these sustainable demands today will lead to safer, longer-lasting results for the future.
