Company:
TenCate Geosynthetics Americas Pendergrass, GA

Project Details

Fabric 1

Geotube®
Producer: TenCate Geosynthetics
Supplier: TenCate Geosynthetics


Engineer Name 1
Ernesto Gray

Design Company
TecnoOceano

Subcontractor Company
Control de Erosion

Project Manager Name
Mauricio Poras

Installation Company
Control de Erosion


Please describe the project specifications

The Kanai Resort shoreline protection project had three distinct phases to it utilizing TenCate GT500 Sand Color Geotube® Units and GC1200MB Composite Geotextile Sand Colored Geotube® Units. The first phase was to install a natural appearing shoreline protection structure with a height of 2.5 meters to protect the entire 1.7 km of the resort shoreline. Next, three 200-meter-long offshore breakwaters were installed, located 100 meters offshore in -3.5m of water. Lastly, a beach was created that had a minimum width of 20 meters by dredging offshore white sand on the shore between the shoreline protection structure and the offshore breakwaters.


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

The Kanai Resort is a 183 hectare development along 1.7 km of coastline of the Caribbean Sea, 30 km south of Cancun, Mexico. The site is low lying mangrove swamp without a sand dune or beach. The client wanted to create an artificial sand dune structure to perform as a protection for the resort buildings and infrastructure. The undeveloped site had no natural beach. Therefore, the client wanted a world class 20-meter-wide gentle sloping white sand beach that cold be protected by offshore breakwaters to create a calm shoreline environment for the resort guests.


What is unique or complex about the project?

The natural coastline site of the Kanai Resort development was a flat mangrove swamp without any natural protection from the storms and hurricanes that routinely impact the the western Caribbean and without a natural beach that is a requirement of any Maya Riviera resort. Therefore, the challenge was how to create a natural appearing protection of the resort from storms and hurricanes and how to provide the white sand beach environment with the same natural appearance and feel of a traditional Caribbean resort. The solution was to install sand colored GT500 Geotube® units that were filled with quarry-run course grain material at the existing coast line. The oval shaped 4.5 meter wide Geotube® structure would run the entire 1.7 km of shoreline and be installed to a height of +2.5 meters and completed by covering with a veneer of white sand to provide the natural appearance of a coastal sand dune. Next, three 200-meter long breakwaters were constructed in -3.5 meters of water and located 100 meters offshore. These breakwaters were created by installing a unique 2 – 1 pyramid design of sand colored GC1200MB composite geotextile fabricated units. These Geotube® units were installed using divers with the quarry-run fill material being pumped from the shoreline. Finally, more than 300,000 m3 of white sand was pumped onshore between the Geotube® shoreline protection sand dune and the offshore Geotube® breakwater structures.


What were the results of the project?

Today, the 1.7 km of the Kanai Resort has a beautiful, natural appearing, gentle sloping white sand beach where the tourists can enjoy a calm and relaxing Caribbean Sea environment with the onshore property being protected by the 2.5m high 1,700 linear meter Geotube® structure. All of this is thanks to the creative use of these unique geotextile products.


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