Research Papers and Projects
Below outlines the published research papers that include or are based on Artecology designs and installations. We also have a list of project ideas that we’re keen to explore with students and researchers!
Project Ideas:
How can the design and arrangement of Vertipools reduce wave overtopping?
What are the well-being benefits of Artecology CoCreate?
Methods and metrics to measure the relationship between textural complexity and biodiversity uplift
How can Artecology interventions support the mitigation of damage from wood-borers?
Published Scientific Papers and Theses:
Between a rock and a hard place: Environmental and engineering considerations when designing coastal defence structures. (Firth et al., 2014)
Drill-cored rock pools: an effective method of ecological enhancement on artificial structures (Evans et al., 2015)
Eco-engineered rock pools: A concrete solution to biodiversity loss and urban sprawl in the marine environment (Firth et al., 2016)
Stakeholder priorities for multi-functional coastal defence developments and steps to effective implementation (Evans et al., 2017)
Shelving the Coast With Vertipools: Retrofitting Artificial Rock Pools on Coastal Structures as Mitigation for Coastal Squeeze (Hall et al., 2019)
Maximising the ecological value of hard coastal structures using textured formliners (MacArthur et al., 2019)
From ocean sprawl to blue-green infrastructure (Evans et al., 2019)
Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users (O’Shaughnessy et al., 2020)
Ecological enhancement of coastal engineering structures: Passive enhancement techniques (MacArthur et al., 2020)
Urban Estuaries and Coasts (Naylor et al., 2020)
Effectiveness of eco-retrofits in reducing wave overtopping on seawalls (O’Sullivan et al., 2020)
A global analysis of complexity–biodiversity relationships on marine artificial structures (Strain et al., 2021)
Enhancing the Biodiversity of Marine Artificial Structures Global evidence for the effects of interventions (Evans et al., 2021)
Estuarine Infauna Within Incidentally Retained Sediment in Artificial Rockpools (Bone et al., 2022)
The intrinsic primary bioreceptivity of concrete in the coastal environment – A review (Bone et al., 2022)
Optimising macroalgal diversity and ecosystem function on coastal infrastructure - an eco-engineering approach (Drakard, 2022)
Artificial rockpools: Seaweed colonisation and productivity vary between sites but are consistent across environmental contexts (Drakard et al., 2023)
Improving biodiversity in the built environment: A study investigating the façade solutions and their impact on local biodiversity (Läng and Tubelo, 2023)
Ecological impact of single and semi-contiguous artificial rockpool installations on the assemblages and species richness of vertical seawalls (Herbert et al., 2024)
Testing the effectiveness of artificial rockpool habitats retrofitted to coastal infrastructure after a decade of operation (Blurton, 2025) MSc Thesis
Behind Anemone Lines: Determining the environmental drivers influencing lagoonal benthic communities, with special reference to the anemone Nematostella vectensis (Bone, 2018) MSc Thesis
Other Published Reports and Materials:
Hythe Ranges sea defences renovation (EA, 2021)
Solent State of Nature Report (ABPMer, 2025)
Innovative projects given go-ahead by MMO (MMO, 2025)