Combining Vertical and Sloping Structures in Marinas: Roundheads and Perforated Quay Walls

The unconventional inclusion of monolithic vertical type structures besides traditional rubble mounds in shallow water yacht harbours can pose interesting challenges for both design and construction. This paper describes the problems and solutions of two recent microtidal projects in western Italy, located at the mouth of the river Arno (Boccadarno at Marina di Pisa) and of the drainage channel Rio Martino (Latina, near Rome). The vertical structures made with either r.c.caissons or a crown of micropiles improve the stability, the navigational safety, the wave attenuation and the siltation problems.