Inspired by the sponge, Floating Reef is a biomimetic mooring buoy made of a 3D printed biogenic material, non-degradable in seawater, with no maintenance or chemical treatment and a lifespan of several decades.
Its objective is to replace subsurface buoys with an artificial reef floating between two waters that can provide a habitat for certain marine species that promote the development of biodiversity.
Replicable in all the world’s oceans and seas with local 3D printing, its low carbon impact constitutes an ecological innovation, a solution for the future. Developed with the Rougerie+Tangram Lab, this project is part of the agency’s fundamental and applied research programme in biomimicry.