Design

Beach Enhancement and Creation

Beaches are born over thousands, if not millions, of years as waves deposit broken-down rocks and sediments onshore. The strength of the waves and undertow, the shape and slope of the coast, and the movement of currents together determine the character of the beach. Smith Warner’s engineers can create a new beach and area safe for swimming or enhance and enlarge an existing beach using coastal structures, tools, and techniques that encourage nature to cooperate.

When the seabed and wave climate is complex, we can build a 3D physical model representing a miniature version of the project site. This allows us to test how the beach will respond to the structures and finetune the design, if necessary, prior to construction. A healthy, stable beach is the first line of defence against storm surge and flooding.

Shoreline Stabilisation, Protection, and Enhancement

Increasingly powerful storms, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion affect countries throughout the Caribbean. They threaten the sustainability of coastal communities and important economic sectors like tourism. Regional governments and international funding agencies are investing in studies and designs for climate-resilient coastal protection and stabilisation. We develop solutions based on a thorough understanding of the coastal processes, and may include structural measures that are optimised for the local setting, ecosystem-based measures, or a combination of both.

Marinas and Waterfront Development

Our services cover the entire lifecycle of your waterfront development project, from concept to construction. We use state-of-the-art analysis tools to deliver exceptional designs on time and on budget. Our marina and waterfront development services include feasibility studies, hydraulic modelling of waves, currents and water levels, flushing and water quality evaluation, shoreline evolution, and beach stability and sediment transport analyses. We conduct all the required surveys and investigations and develop concept and basic design options accounting for location, layout, boat mix, dredging needs, navigation, and maneuvering. We can navigate your project through construction and monitoring or provide full tender documents. Our team of world-class marine and coastal engineering experts specialises in the Caribbean. Nobody understands the special needs of our coasts like we do.

Outfall Evaluation & Design

Caribbean countries with industrial sectors have ocean outfalls for sewage discharge, cooling water disposal, and wastewater from a variety of sources. A well-designed outfall doesn’t just dilute the effluent, but more importantly it allows the natural processes in the ocean to stabilise the waste with minimal environmental damage.

We have the tools and expertise to run thermal, wastewater, and saline discharge plume simulations and to evaluate the impacts on the ambient environment. We also use these studies to investigate the impacts on adjacent sensitive habitats and properties and along the seafloor so that we can provide appropriate mitigation options. Numerical modelling helps to determine an outfall location that is economically and environmentally viable.

Dredging & Dredge Spoil Disposal Optimisation

Assessment of a site targeted for dredging begins with an analysis of localized hydrodynamics. The goal is to ensure that changes to the shape of the seabed don’t impact nearby shorelines or impede the movement of vessels. Our numerical model simulations help quantify any effects on coastal and marine biological processes that may result from dredging. In combination with surveys of the seafloor, we use this impact analysis to address any areas of concern. When dredge spoil cannot immediately be repurposed, it must be relocated with careful consideration for the nearby marine flora and fauna as well as for longer-term sediment distribution.

Stormwater Management

With climate change affecting the hydrological cycle worldwide, including here in the Caribbean, we are often called upon to design, develop, and improve stormwater management systems. Rainfall is becoming less predictable, more intense at times and virtually absent at others. In some locations, sea-level rise coupled with heavy rainfall threatens to eventually overwhelm drainage pipes. The runoff from major storms can destroy infrastructure and contaminate the drinkable water supply or our sensitive marine environment.