General Guidelines for Good Quality Artificial Beaches and Lagoons, and Case Stories
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XVIII - 2007 Orlando, Florida, USA
Authors:
Mangor
Abstract: Artificial beaches behave as natural beaches, i.e. they adjust to the natural and man made conditions at the site. Good quality recreational beaches in the nature occur only when the beach is exposed to a minimum of waves and when the beach sand is of a good quality. The following main requirements shall be fulfilled to obtain a good quality artificial recreational beach:
- Moderate wave exposure in the bathing season
- The beach shall be stable in plan shape and in profile shape
- Stabilizing structures must not generate dangerous rip currents
- Good quality sand fill for construction of the artificial beach
- Good bathing water quality (clear and clean water)
Furthermore, the new beach scheme shall be well adjusted to the existing coastal environment in terms of social activities and urban development and in terms of landscape characteristics.
These principles were utilized for the hydraulic design of a new beach park in the Copenhagen area, i.e. the Amager Beach Park. The site is located in an area with a moderate wave exposure; however, the natural shoreface was so shallow that there was hardly any wave exposure of the beach. The old beach was therefore of a very poor quality.
In order to provide maximum possible wave exposure the new beach was moved seawards on an artificial island located off the shallow shoreface, whereby sufficient wave exposure was established. The new beach was divided into two sections separated by a headland. The two sections are orientated against the prevailing wave directions NE and SE, respectively, whereby both sections are made stable. The shallow area behind the new beaches was excavated to form a lagoon and the excavated material was used to form the body of the island. The beach park has been very successful and has received several distinctions.
Keywords: Beach Park, artificial lagoon, quality of beaches, wave exposure, Amager Beach Park.