Designer Mary Lempres creates oyster reefs from plant extracts and crushed shells 

In Virginia, designer Mary Lempres has used plant enzymes to produce Reef Rockets, structures made of biobased cement that could mimic naturally occurring oyster reefs and prevent flooding and coastal erosion, clean seawater, and function as biodiversity-boosting habitats. 

Lempres collaborated with environmental and bio-geotechnical engineer Ahmed Miftah to develop a method for growing the cement.  The process involved infusing the extract of plants with crushed glass and oyster shells sourced from New York Harbor-area restaurants.

 “The packed substrate grows similarly to a plant,” Lempres told design publication dezeen. The slurry eventually forms a concrete-like material after biocatalysts create “mineral bridges” between pieces of the crushed material.  “The resulting product is water-resistant, durable and comparable with standard concrete containing the same amount of aggregate,” Lempres added. “It can be grown in any environment without heat or otherwise burning fossil fuels and is derived from waste products, making it an affordable and scalable alternative to cement.”