Michigan’s water levels have recently been at all-time highs and many property owners have faced the possibility of damage to their waterfront homes, office buildings, and roadways. In many cases these risks have been mitigated using costly hard armoring practices and other ecologically destructive measures.
At Inhabitect, we do things differently when dealing with the forces of Mother Nature. We couple eco-friendly components and plant materials together in a bioengineered system that provides a natural, vegetated buffer between your commercial or residential property and its neighboring body of water.
As Certified Natural Shoreline Professionals with a growing portfolio, we provide a solution much closer to what nature intended, while not compromising your vision for the property. Our installations look great, are low impact, and can be used for: ponds, inland lakes, the Great Lakes coastline, as well as the banks along rivers, streams, or tributaries.
Natural shorelines can help restore areas that have been degraded by human activities (e.g. shoreline & riverbank clear cutting, foot traffic along steep slopes, other destabilization of these critical barriers). If previous land stewardship practices have resulted in unplanned or undesired consequences, this form of restoration is the perfect fit.
Also called ‘soft armoring,’ our natural shoreline projects reintroduce deep-rooted native plants to create a system that mimics naturally stable shorelines. We solve shoreline erosion in a way that supports the neighboring waterway’s ecosystem while also protecting its waterfront property.
Natural and bioengineered shorelines are designed to withstand the erosive forces found along waterways of all types. Through a combination of materials and installation techniques, natural shorelines provide a resilient solution, not available in more traditional, hard armoring methods.
Completed in June 2024, this Lake Leelanau project marked Inhabitect’s first natural shoreline restoration of the year. The property, perched on a steep bluff, presented unique challenges, as the shoreline could only be accessed by stone steps down to the lake. Inhabitect expanded, extended, and installed additional steps to provide a safe and functional pathway, ensuring seamless, year-round access to the shore and dock while enhancing the site’s natural beauty.
Located on Lime Lake in Maple City, MI, just minutes from Lake Michigan and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this natural shoreline restoration project reflects Inhabitect’s comprehensive design-build approach. Completed in the summer of 2023, this project transformed the property into a more functional lakeside retreat.
Inhabitect is a full-service firm dedicated to designing, building, and growing all forms of living architecture. Based in Traverse City, Michigan — and consulting throughout North America — we create green roofs, natural shorelines, and other stormwater management and eco-minded landscape solutions for clients across the state. We’re bringing a new meaning to ‘GREEN.’
