The Tough Tech problem we are solving
Traditional coastal protection is designed to fight the ocean. Seawalls and groins interrupt the natural movement of sand, so beaches must be replenished through repeated sand pumping. These approaches are costly to maintain, can disrupt coastal communities and resort operations, and often need to be repeated every year as erosion returns. As sea levels rise and storms intensify, the cost of this cycle continues to grow.
About our solution
Coastal Assembly addresses this challenge by working with the ocean instead of against it. Born from MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, the company pairs a coastal intelligence platform that combines satellite imagery, ocean modeling, and machine learning with engineered reef structures, precisely placed to use wave and current energy to move sand back toward the beach. The reefs restore the natural processes that build and maintain shorelines, require no power or ongoing maintenance, and create new habitat for coral and fish. At the JW Marriott Maldives, 54 structures built 90 feet of new beach in six months.