\n Exo Engineering<\/a> specialises in designing and manufacturing bespoke infrastructure that delivers ecological benefits alongside functionality in coastal and marine settings, such as artificial reefs and habitat structures.\n<\/p>\n \n The company is applying the same thinking to articulated concrete mattresses, a widely used form of seabed protection employed across offshore energy projects. Concrete mattresses are commonly installed over subsea cables, pipelines and crossings to prevent scour and stabilise the seabed. They form a proven solution that has been used throughout the offshore sector for decades.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Rather than replace that technology, Exo Engineering is exploring how it can be improved.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThere is a beautiful opportunity for developers to achieve positive contribution to the seabed by enhancing offshore infrastructure,\u201d said managing director William Coulet.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe recognise that disturbing the seabed anywhere and everywhere is not desired. If we are putting down offshore infrastructure like scour protection or cable protection, it might as well be of a nature-inclusive type.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Working with marine biologists, the company\u2019s engineers have developed a series of surface textures and habitat features that can be incorporated into traditional concrete mattress designs without affecting their primary function.\n<\/p>\n \n Historically, seabed protection systems have been designed almost exclusively around engineering performance. Resilience, strength and stability have taken precedence.\n<\/p>\n \n William said that Exo Engineering\u2019s challenge has been finding ways to \u201coffer benefits to marine life without compromising the product\u2019s performance or durability\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n The solution lies in increasing what ecologists refer to as \u201csurface complexity\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n Smooth concrete surfaces provide relatively few opportunities for marine organisms to establish themselves. By introducing carefully designed textures, grooves and cavities, those same surfaces can become more attractive to a wider range of species.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe want to maximise the complexity for minimal effort and as such, remaining cost competitive,\u201d said operations manager Jack Cattermole.\n<\/p>\n \n The company has developed several concepts, including hexagonal patterns, rock-inspired textures and a distinctive surface finish influenced by the appearance of brain coral. These features increase the available surface area and create sheltered spaces where marine organisms can attach, grow and take refuge.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Jack explained that, in ecological terms, the approach increases the \u201crugosity\u201d of the structure, creating a more varied habitat than standard concrete alone.\n<\/p>\n \n The potential benefits extend across multiple species groups commonly found in the North Sea.\n<\/p>\n \n Mobile species such as brown crabs and European lobsters can use cavities and crevices for shelter, while mussels and oysters may colonise textured surfaces more readily than smooth concrete.\n<\/p>\n \n Those species can generate wider ecological gains over time.\n<\/p>\n \n Natural reef-forming organisms create additional habitat for other marine life, supporting increasingly complex communities as they become established.\n<\/p>\n \n While much attention has been given to species such as Atlantic cod in recent years, Exo Engineering views nature-inclusive infrastructure as part of a broader effort to restore ecological function across depleted seabed habitats.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s so important for us as a company to create these habitats to encourage that restoration because it\u2019s in such a degraded state,\u201d Jack said.\n<\/p>\n \n Nature-inclusive design is attracting growing attention from developers.\n<\/p>\n \n In the Netherlands, ecological enhancement measures are already an established part of offshore wind development, with many in the sector expecting similar trends elsewhere.\n<\/p>\n \n \n One reason the concept appeals to developers is its practicality.\n<\/p>\n \n Unlike entirely new technologies, it builds on an established product already trusted by the industry.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s not a completely new product, which would require extensive testing,\u201d Jack said. \u201cIt\u2019s taking a proven technology and tweaking the design to benefit nature.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n That means installation requirements remain largely unchanged.\n<\/p>\n \n Existing deployment methods can still be used, reducing concerns around construction schedules, vessel availability and operational risk.\n<\/p>\n \n The company is currently partnering with concrete mattress manufacturer Subsea Protection Systems Ltd., based in Great Yarmouth, to trial aspects of the design and refine production techniques.\n<\/p>\n \n The objective is to demonstrate that biodiversity enhancements can be integrated into manufacturing processes without creating significant additional cost.\n<\/p>\n \n Monitoring will also play an important role. Exo Engineering already offers a range of ecological monitoring services, including ROV inspections, seabed video surveys and environmental DNA analysis.\n<\/p>\n \n These techniques can help developers understand how marine communities establish themselves over time and assess the effectiveness of nature-inclusive interventions.\n<\/p>\n \n As offshore wind continues to expand, nature-inclusive articulated concrete mattresses could offer developers a straightforward way to generate environmental benefits from infrastructure that would be installed regardless.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cJust that simple tweak could provide a much greater amount of biodiversity uplift compared to a regular mattress,\u201d Jack said.\n<\/p>\n \n In a sector searching for ways to balance energy generation with environmental recovery, the fine tuning of concrete mattresses could prove increasingly valuable.\n<\/p>\n \n For more information, visit exo-engineering.co.uk<\/a>\n<\/p>\nWilliam Coulet, Exo Engineering managing director. (Image: COOKED PHOTOGRAPHY)\n<\/p>\n
Jack Cattermole, Exo Engineering operations manager. (Image: Exo Engineering)\n<\/p>\n
Nature-inclusive articulated concrete mattresses are designed to enhance seabed biodiversity alongside cable and scour protection. (Image: Exo Engineering)\n<\/p>\n