The Umdloti sea wall that stood the test of tides.

The Umdloti sea wall in Durban, South Africa, which was designed by SBA and constructed in 1995 on the northern side of Umdloti beach, stood firm in the recent devastating storms and tides, which damaged or destroyed most other protection works in the area.

“Sound engineering design principles and an understanding and respect for the forces of nature are key factors that contributed to the success of this structure," says Morrell Rosseau, Director of SBA "Not a single block in the original wall was dislodged - a stark contrast to the damage caused to other structures in the area by the storm and concurrent exceptionally high equinox tides."

This robust wall was constructed using water Loffelstein blocks and was tested for resistance to wave action at a laboratory at Stellenbosch University. Construction was challenging in the sea environment where the wall had to be erected below sea level, on rock foundations.