Oct 09, 2025

Kind Designs Living Seawalls

Fighting flooding with sustainable habitats

Marina Koren

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Marina Koren

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defaultCourtesy Kind Designs

Anya Freeman loved living in Miami Beach—except for the frequent flooding. So she founded Kind Designs, which puts a thoughtful spin on seawalls, structures that have protected vulnerable shorelines for decades. The company’s Living Seawalls are 3D-printed from a non-toxic concrete mixture, and can be custom shaped to suit local flora and fauna: mangrove roots in Miami, barnacles and seagrass in New York. Their richly textured surfaces dissipate waves while providing habitats for sea life. Since October 2024, Kind Designs has installed nine Living Seawalls across the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, and won grants from the U.S. Navy and Air Force to fortify their coastal bases.

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