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The mixture of AI, a wild Nineteen Seventies plan to construct an underwater metropolis, and a designer constructing furnishings on the ocean ground across the Bahamas could possibly be the answer to the widespread destruction of coral reefs. It could actually additionally save the world from coastal erosion.
Industrial designer Tom Dixon and technologist Suhair Khan, founding father of AI incubator Open-Ended Design, are collaborating on reviving the seabed. “Coral reefs are beneath risk from local weather change, transport, growth and development – however they’re very important,” explains Khan. “They cowl 1 p.c of the ocean ground, however they’re house to greater than 25 p.c of marine life.”
At present, Dixon says, coastal erosion is prevented by erecting concrete constructions to strengthen the shoreline. These hurt marine life and ecosystems – however coral could possibly be a “regenerative substitute”.
Dixon got here up with the concept after studying of architect Wolf Hilbertz's plan to construct a metropolis beneath water after which float it to the floor. In 1976, Hilbertz invented mineral accretion expertise: a charged steel framework that deposits calcium carbonate in seawater in the identical means {that a} kettle deposits limescale in exhausting water areas. The result’s a limestone deposit often known as biorock.
“It additionally regenerates eroded reefs and regenerates coral, and species akin to oysters and seagrass develop twice as quick,” explains Dixon, who experiments with the method by making limestone furnishings off the coast of the Bahamas. The 2 now collaborate to make use of AI to foretell the result of importing biorock to completely different websites, at completely different water temperatures, in numerous climate circumstances, with completely different quantities of photo voltaic vitality.
In line with Khan, they goal to check their work off the coast of northern Australia, and hope to recruit affected native communities to advise and help their plans.
This text is revealed within the March/April 2024 subject Wired UK journal.