Mycelium Fungi as a Building Material

Maria Saxton
Rise Writer
Feb 14, 2020  

Mycelium is a natural fungi material with industrial-level strength that has been explored
in recent years as a potential building material. This emerging material could be used as
the building blocks (literally) for future homes!
Grow Your Own Kit. Photo Credit: Ecovative Design

What Is Mycelium?
The mycelium of fungus refers to the fragile root-like fibers of fungus that live underneath
the ground. Mycelium is 100% organic, compostable, and biodegradable. When it is
dried, it becomes incredibly durable and resistant to water, mold, and fire.

To date, mycelium has most often been used for packaging purposes. One company,
Ecovative Design, has discovered ways to use mycelium for more than packaging. They
are creating alternative meat products, animal-free leather, skincare products, and more.
With their fabrication process, they can control the texture, strength, and porosity of
mycelium-based products. 

What sets mycelium apart from other materials is its ability to regenerate at a quick rate.
It can also be used for 3-D printing and is non-toxic, insulating, and all-natural. Mycelium
has the potential to create a new paradigm for design in the building industry. 
Why Would We Want to Build Homes With Fungi?
This concept sounds strange, but give it a shot, it may grow on you! (pun intended)

With the ever-rising environmental impact of buildings, the industry is in a unique

position to explore cutting-edge technologies. When we hear the term 'technology,' we
typically assume it is referring to the technology within a building like HVAC units or
smart thermostat controls. However, there are endless opportunities to discover
innovative technologies that may influence future construction standards. 

Standard building materials like concrete and steel are significant contributors to the
building industry's sizeable environmental impact. To achieve ambitious environmental
goals in the building industry, research into unconventional materials must be explored.
Mycelium, in brick form, is one of the most promising new materials currently being
investigated.

Although mycelium has been researched as a potential building material by many from a
theoretical standpoint, there are few examples of it used to construct a building. Here we
will walk through a few case studies where mycelium has been used for state-of-the-art
projects, illustrating the range of applications for this new material. 

The Living Hy-Fi Exterior. Photo Credit: The Living New York

Case Study: The Hy-Fy

In 2014, The Living Embodied Computation Lab, commissioned by Princeton University,
created a building called the Hy-Fy in Queens, New York. The project went on to win the
2014 Young Architects Program Competition at MoMA PS1 in New York.
The Living Hy-Fy Exterior. Photo Credit: Cecil Barnes V

Here's how it worked: Low-valued crop waste (such as corn husks) were harvested from
farmers then chopped up into small pieces. This waste was then combined with
specially-formulated mycelium and packed into molds the shape of bricks. Over a few
days, the mixed material self-assembled into a lightweight solid object. The team created
10,000 compostable bricks that they constructed into a 13-meter-tall tower, which they
left assembled for three months. Then, the team disassembled the structure and
composted the bricks, giving the resulting soil to local community gardens. 

This ability to create building materials from naturally-forming fungi that were then
regenerated back into the Earth shows how mycelium produces a low-impact solution for
buildings. 
Growing Pavilion Door. Photo Credit: Dezeen, Erik Melander

Case Study: The Growing Pavilion

As evidenced by its name, the Growing Pavilion was built with naturally-forming fungi
that can self-assemble. This temporary structure was erected for Dutch Design
Week and was host to multiple events. 

Growing Pavilion Exterior. Photo Credit: Architectuur NL

This structure, made entirely from bio-based materials, integrated mushrooms,

mycelium, timber, and a bio-based coating originally developed by Inca people around
the 12th century. The timber frame was built first, then panels made from mushrooms
and mycelium were attached to the frame. These lightweight panels could be removed
easily and repurposed for other uses. 

The Growing Pavilion aimed to be a temporary structure for Dutch Design Week. Due to
the project's success, the team who designed it is now working on a pavilion design that
will last outside, in the elements, for multiple years. 
Bioterials Diagram. Photo Credit: Redhouse

Case Study: "Biocycling" Old Homes with Mycelium to

Build New Ones
An architecture firm in Cleveland is working on a technique to demolish derelict homes
and combine fungus with demolition debris to form new building materials. This process
is called "biocycling," where demolition waste is broken down and combined with
mycelium to add industrial-level strength that binds the material as it grows. Then, the
combined elements are compressed to create new building materials. These materials
can then be cut into bricks or used as insulation. This approach could be useful in
combatting housing issues in North America by affordably recycling older homes into
newer ones. 

Design firms, such as Redhouse Architecture, believe that this process could even be
used for disaster relief housing. It could provide homes that may last for only a few years
and then could be composted at the end of their useful life. Additionally, it may be a
solution for communities in developing countries.  
The Shell Mycelium. Photo Credit: Krishna & Govind Raja
Case Study: The Shell Mycelium Installation 
Mycelium was used to create another temporary event space in southwest India. Their
project had two goals. The first was to promote mycelium as a building material. The
second endeavoured to show how it could create temporary venues for major public
events (such as international sporting events and world expos). 

Using an organic material like mycelium for major events could prove to be cost-effective
and much more sustainable. The necessary infrastructure for an event like the Olympics
costs countries incredible sums of money. For example, Sochi invested over $50 billion
for the 2014 Winter Games. Mycelium offers an affordable solution that is much more
environmentally-conscious than conventional construction. 

The Shell Mycelium Installation offers a fresh, organic approach to mycelium

construction. The project used a triangulated timber framework, which gave the end
product a striking, otherworldly aesthetic. 

Myco Tree. Photo Credit: Mycotech

Case Study: MycoTree

An architect and engineer teamed up to discover ways that mycelium could be used to
provide the support for a building, rather than for cladding purposes. They optimized
geometry to design a tree-like mycelium-based structure that could provide the base of a
two-story building. This approach allows mycelium to be used as the integral structural
framework of a building rather than for exterior walls that provide some support, but not
all. 
To create their mycelium mixture, they combined mycelium and a food mix consisting of
sawdust and sugarcane. The structure of the MycoTree took about two weeks to 'grow.'
The team showcased this concept at the 2017 Seoul Architecture Biennale.