Traditional man-made habitat structure has been limited to sinking scuttled ships, obsolete equipment, and previously purposed concrete items; none of these artificial reefs look natural and many appear out of place in the marine environment. Many currently engineered artificial reef designs appear geometric, symmetrical and uniform; these shapes usually conform to the limitations of their fabrication method and usually emphasize ease of construction or deployment rather than compatibility with any natural aesthetic. Even reefs built from piled limestone boulders usually look like a pile of rocks and, given the mass of material used, these rock piles produce very few opportunities for habitat or colonization.
Reef Cells maximize the productive capacity of the artificial reef by providing many interconnected cavities and internal surfaces exposed to sunlight and water current. The ratio of overall surface area and interconnected interior space to the amount of material used and the minimum sea floor area occupied is the highest of any artificial reef design. The size and spatial organization of the interior voids are designed to provide a specific habitat environment favored by a wide range of varied and diverse marine organisms.