Coastal engineering

Planning, design, construction, and maintenance of civil works in the coastal zone.

Designing effective coastal structures in the dynamic nearshore wave environment requires careful consideration of the relevant coastal processes coupled with an in-depth understanding of client need to define functional requirements of the structure.

As specialists in coastal engineering, PRDW has extensive experience in a broad range of associated disciplines, including:

  • Numerical modelling of coastal processes
  • Physical modelling of wave-structure interaction
  • Design of breakwaters and coastal protection
  • Dredging and reclamation
  • Site investigations
  • Metocean data analysis
  • Coastal management and specialist input for environmental impact assessment

PRDW adheres to the project life-cycle process adding value from conceptual to detail design and ultimately to construction and commissioning of the works.

Coastal engineering designs generally require a thorough understanding and quantification of the coastal processes which can be used as inputs to size and plan infrastructure capable of resisting these processes.

PRDW typically use the MIKE by DHI software suite for quantification and study of coastal processes. Depending on design phase, the coastal processes quantification leads to identification of design conditions. Industry standard calculations then give the size and design of the required infrastructure.

In certain complex cases PRDW will additionally develop designs in physical models to ensure complex wave-structure interactions are accurately quantified.

Typical infrastructure falling under the coastal engineering category include:

  • Breakwaters
  • Revetments and coastal protection
  • Coastal intakes and outfalls
  • Beach design and enhancement
  • Island and reclamation design
  • Tidal pools
  • Submarine pipelines
  • Navigation channel and dredge design