Living Ports wins IAPH 2022 award as a demonstration of nature-inclusive marine infrastructure

The Living Ports project, funded under the European research framework and supported by the European Innovation Council pipeline, was announced as one of the winners of the 2022 World Sustainability Awards run by the International Association of Ports and Harbors. The award recognises projects that attempt to change how ports manage infrastructure with an emphasis on sustainability. The winners were chosen by combining a public vote worth 30 percent with the evaluation of a nine-member expert jury worth 70 percent. The awards ceremony took place on 17 May 2022 at the IAPH World Ports Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

Why the Living Ports demonstration matters

Traditional coastal and marine infrastructure is overwhelmingly built with conventional concrete. Industry estimates put this share at roughly 70 percent of coastal and marine structures. Conventional concrete and many marine construction practices are associated with habitat loss, toxicity for some marine organisms, high embodied carbon, and vulnerability to climate-driven changes such as increased storm intensity and sea level rise. Living Ports aims to present a commercially viable alternative that combines structural performance with ecological uplift and potential carbon benefits.

What was installed in Vigo and who is involved

The Living Ports consortium is led by ECOncrete Tech Ltd and includes the Port of Vigo, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Cardama Shipyard among the core partners. The demonstrator consists of engineered seawall panels and riprap armour units designed to increase habitat complexity and support marine biodiversity while delivering coastal protection functions. An underwater observatory called Nautilus was built by Cardama Shipyard to provide a public-facing window on biodiversity development and to engage stakeholders.

How the technology is presented and what 'nature-inclusive concrete' means

Monitoring, outreach and early results

Scientific monitoring is a core part of Living Ports. The Technical University of Denmark is leading underwater ecological monitoring to quantify biodiversity change on the installed panels and units. Project communications state measurable biodiversity gains in the locations monitored. The Nautilus observatory allows the public and local stakeholders to view underwater life and follow ecological development. These monitoring activities are important for independent verification, but early positive ecological signals from a pilot of this scale do not automatically translate into long-term ecosystem restoration or net carbon removal without multi-year data and independent lifecycle analyses.

Recognition at IAPH and the award selection process

Living Ports was selected as a winner in the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Awards 2022 in the Infrastructures category. The final winners were determined by a combined process where a public vote counted for 30 percent of the score and a jury of nine independent experts determined the remaining 70 percent. Winners were announced at the IAPH Gala Dinner during the world ports conference in Vancouver on 17 May 2022.

Potential for scale and the practical barriers to wider adoption

The Living Ports demonstration addresses a clear market need. Ports worldwide face rising maintenance costs from corrosion, increasing climate risk, and growing regulatory and stakeholder pressure to reduce environmental impacts. If a structural material can demonstrably reduce maintenance, support biodiversity and lower lifecycle emissions, there is a significant market. However, moving from a successful pilot to industry-wide standards faces several hurdles.

Regulatory and standards context in the EU

EU funding instruments such as Horizon 2020 and EIC programmes are designed to de-risk technologies and provide evidence to inform standards and procurement. Demonstrations like Living Ports can feed into standard-setting processes, technical committees and public procurement specifications, but this typically requires multi-site results, independent replication, and engagement with regulatory authorities and standardisation bodies. Ports are also influenced by national coastal management policies and environmental permitting regimes which vary across member states.

Takeaways and what to watch next

Living Ports is a notable example of a funded demonstration that attempts to bridge innovation, science and public engagement in an operational port. The IAPH award gives the project visibility within the global ports community and may help stimulate interest. At the same time, claims about carbon storage and 'bringing concrete to life' should be treated as hypotheses that require long term, independent verification through monitoring, life cycle assessments and third party audits. Widespread industry adoption will depend on cost competitiveness, proof of structural performance, regulatory acceptance and the ability to integrate with existing port operations and procurement frameworks.

Contact and further information

Key project contacts listed by the Living Ports consortium include ECOncrete, the Port of Vigo, DTU and Cardama Shipyard. The project acknowledges funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement GA970972. Readers interested in procurement, standards or replication should follow future monitoring publications, IAPH communications, and EIC/EISMEA updates on follow-on funding and scaling activities.