Building with Nature in Marine Infrastructure: Toward an Innovative Project Arrangement in the Melbourne Channel Deepening Project

Abstract

Globally, there is an increasing pressure on coastal and marine ecosystems. The development of marine infrastructure is causing additional ecological impacts on these systems. To reduce ecological impacts innovative approaches of marine infrastructure development are being developed. These approaches, such as Building with Nature, aim to integrate ecological and social dynamics in the creation of coastal and marine infrastructure. This integration has implications for the development and management of these projects. To understand opportunities for Building with Nature approaches, this article analyzes the development of the Melbourne Channel Deepening project in Australia that developed from a conventional, state-led project toward a Building with Nature arrangement. This article shows that a Building with Nature project arrangement differs not just substantially in its ecological focus and primacy from a conventional project arrangement, but also in its leading discourse, its actor coalition, its power and resources applied, and the rules of the game through which the project is designed and implemented. We conclude that developing a Building with Nature project requires a specific arrangement that allows for an early involvement of both ecological and social dynamics.

Ecological considerations in constructing marine infrastructure: The Falmouth cruise terminal development, Jamaica

“…To understand the development of marine infrastructural projects in their governance setting and to unravel the inclusion of ecodynamic design and construction principles into marine infrastructural projects the concept of Marine Infrastructural Project Arrangement (MIPA) [5,9] is applied. The MIPA approach aims to understand the institutionalization of environmental principles into practices of design and construction of a particular marine infrastructural project.…”

“…A specific feature of this tender is the possibility to submit an independent financial offer. 9 . In choosing this construction the selection of the constructor (and thus construction design) is dependent on the financier.…”

“…These new approaches bring the involvement of new actors due to requirements of new knowledge, expertise and public engagement. By the same token, increasing involvement of private actors can create enabling conditions for these new ecosystem based design approaches [5,9]. Such shifts in governance arrangements also impact the transfer of innovative techniques between different geographical regions.…”

A Shift Toward Building with Nature in the Dredging and Port Development Industries: Managerial Implications for Projects in or Near Natura 2000 Areas

“…The aim of the program was to seek infrastructure solutions that both utilize and enhance the natural system, such that the ecological and economic interests of a project are mutually reinforcing. In addition to the research presented in this article, the societal component of the Building with Nature program included the feasibility of local decision-making arenas (Smit 2011 ), the role of knowledge, and uncertainty in decision-making (van den Hoek et al 2012 , van den Hoek 2014 , Janssen et al 2014 ), and innovative project arrangements (Korbee and van Tatenhove 2013 , Korbee et al 2014 ). It was launched in 2008 by the EcoShape Foundation as a public–private innovation program.…”

Design, production, and validation of the biological and structural performance of an ecologically engineered concrete block mattress: A Nature‐Inclusive Design for shoreline and offshore construction

“…Ecological engineering is a relatively new and evolving discipline (Mitsch, 2012) aimed at the integration of ecological principles in the planning, design, and construction of both land-based and aquatic infrastructure. Rather than mitigation of, or compensation for, ecologically adverse impacts (Korbee et al, 2014), ecological engineering has opened the doors for applied biomimetic technologies, designed to mimic nature's forms and functions to improve structural and ecological performance. When referring to coastal and marine infrastructure (CMI), the harsh environmental conditions dictate compliance with strict building codes and standards.…”