A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for the Configuration Design of Bionic Marine Ecological Infrastructure: A Case Study of Coral Reef Restoration Platforms

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A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for the Configuration Design of Bionic Marine Ecological Infrastructure: A Case Study of Coral Reef Restoration Platforms

Shuyue Fan ¹ , Lei Xie ¹ , Wanting Xie ¹ , Chibiao Hao ^{1 ,*}

1 . College of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, P.R. China

* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Published in Coastal Human Settlements ( Volume 3, Issue 2 )

Received: 16 March 2026 Accepted: 10 April 2026 Published: 26 July 2026

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Abstract

This study addresses the core dilemmas of high construction disturbance, fixed positioning, and weak environmental adaptability in conventional coral reef restoration practices. Guided by the paradigm of design-based research and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), it proposes a configuration design method for bionic marine ecological infrastructure with a gas-membrane structure as the core. Starting from the strategic demand of marine ecological civilization and technical bottle-necks of coral restoration, this research deconstructs three typical offshore floating structures and establishes a targeted performance evaluation system. The weighted decision matrix and sensitivity analysis verify that the bionic gas-membrane platform outperforms rigid platforms and flexible cages in terms of low ecological disturbance, dynamic adaptability, and micro-environment regulation. On this basis, dual bionic strategies-morphological bionics imitating jellyfish and structural bionics imitating coral skeletons-are integrated to construct a dynamic symbiosis system with light floating bodies, intelligent mem-branes, and porous attachment substrates. Numerical simulations confirm the hydrodynamic efficiency and structural stability of the proposed platform. This study not only provides an engineering prototype for coral reef restoration in the South China Sea but also enriches the theoretical framework of marine flexible ecological infrastructure, demonstrating a rational and replicable approach for design science to intervene in marine ecological engineering.

Published in	Coastal Human Settlements (Volume 3, Issue 2)
DOI	10.65736/chs03021
Page(s)	15
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s). Published by Open Access Press

Keywords

coral reef restoration, bionic marine ecological infrastructure, floating platform, gas-membrane structure, multi-criteria decision-making, configuration design, design-based research

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APA Style

Fan, S. S. , Xie, L. L. , Xie, W. W. , Hao, C. C. (2024). A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for the Configuration Design of Bionic Marine Ecological Infrastructure: A Case Study of Coral Reef Restoration Platforms. Coastal Human Settlements, 3, (2), 1. https://doi.org/10.65736/chs03021

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ACS Style

Fan, S. ; Xie, L. ; Xie, W. ; Hao, C. A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for the Configuration Design of Bionic Marine Ecological Infrastructure: A Case Study of Coral Reef Restoration Platforms. Mach. Learn. Res. (2024), 3, (2), 1. doi: https://doi.org/10.65736/chs03021

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AMA Style

Fan , Xie , Xie , Hao . A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for the Configuration Design of Bionic Marine Ecological Infrastructure: A Case Study of Coral Reef Restoration Platforms. Mach Learn Res. (2024);3(2):1. doi: https://doi.org/10.65736/chs03021

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