The project was to build a seawall on Crown land on the largest of the rocky outcrops that constitute the Minquiers, located nine miles south of Jersey, making it the most southerly construction site in the British Isles.

The Minquiers are an extremely exposed marine environment. Some of the few buildings that remain there were under serious threat; A Geomarine-led concept of a pre-cast seawall was approved with works programmed to suit tidal conditions, weather and the bird breeding season. Mid-September saw a landing craft making its way south with a crane, mixers, compressor, pre-cast units, stone, gravel, a stainless-steel anchoring system, and our prefabricated/flat pack sea-wall and a portaloo. The construction team then travelled daily by rib.

A granite faced foundation was made to level out the existing rock, from which the precast units were also faced. This was topped by a precast concrete re-curve; all was tied together with an insitu corner detail and the stainless-steel anchors pinning the whole structure together and to the underlying rock. As an entirely inhouse design, fabrication and delivery, this was undisputedly world-class engineering.