Waikiki Beach Sand Filled Mattress

Company:
TenCate Geosynthetics Americas Pendergrass, GA

Project Details

Fabric 1

Geotube®
Producer: TenCate Geosynthetics
Supplier: TenCate Geosynthetics

Engineer Name 1
Dolan Everson

Design Name
Dolan Everson

Fabrication Company
TenCate Geosynthetics

Subcontractor Company
Geotech Solutions

Project Manager Name
Troy Ogasawara

Project Manager Company
Geotech Solutions

Installation Company
Geotech Solutions

Please describe the project specifications

In December of 2017, the City of Honolulu and the Waikiki Beach Association funded a program to install the Geotube® Sand Filled Mattresses as an innovative solution to protect critical areas of Waikiki Beach impacted by local erosion. Sand Filled Mattresses are two layers of geotextiles sewn together to form longitudinal chambers that are filled with sand slurry. The bottom layer is a high strength woven polypropylene geotextile. The top layer is a composite consisting of a woven polypropylene geotextile with ¼” thick layer of highly UV stabilized crimped fiber needled into the top surface. When installed, this sand colored fiber traps and holds sand providing a natural surface appearance. This was a critical requirement for any erosion protection installed on Waikiki Beach. Our distributor in Hawaii, Geotech Solutions and the City of Honolulu Parks Department personal, installed the 200’ long section of Sand Filled Mattresses in two days and opened the beach to the public for use. Based on the performance, a second mattress section was installed on another Hawaiian beach the following month.

What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The purpose of the project was to restore the natural appearance of this section of Waikiki Beach and to provide a safe environment for tourists to enjoy the beach.

The City of Honolulu and the Waikiki Beach Association requested that the erosion restoration and protection provide a natural appearance and safe surface of the beach.

What is unique or complex about the project?

All of the sand had been eroded from this section of Waikiki Beach and only clay and rocks were on the surface. This section of beach had an unappealing appearance and was not safe for anyone to use the beach. The Sand Filled Mattress has a top surface of soft sand colored fiber that traps sand particles and take on a natural sand beach appearance that is soft and blends into the existing environment.