The concept is fascinating, but what I'm most curious about is how they achieve that longevity in seawater. Benthic life really loves to settle and build on hard surfaces.

[–] sturger@sh.itjust.works 37 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Every time I see these “We’ll do X in/around the ocean” projects I think, “These people have not spent a lot of time near the ocean.”

[–] Dryfire@lemm.ee 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There are 2000 year old Roman concrete piers that are still just hanging out in sea water. So it's possible if you find the right mix.

[–] sturger@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 days ago

The concrete isn’t the problem. Like mentioned above, the sealife growth is. Also, metal and moving mechanicals are savaged by seawater (and the sealife growth). Keeping things working on the surface of the water is difficult and expensive. Water pressure makes that even worse. Maintenance requires divers which are likewise very expensive.

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