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Phoenix666 writes:

A Brunel University London student has been exploring how mushrooms can be used to grow robust zero-waste structures as an alternative to conventional building techniques.

In collaboration with environmentally-focused architecture firm Astudio, Aleksi Vesaluoma's Grown Structures, use mycelium (oyster mushroom spawn) mixed with cardboard. The material is then molded into 'mushroom sausages' by packing the mixture into a tubular cotton bandage.

The mushroom sausages are shaped over a mold of the preferred shape and grown over four weeks in a ventilated green house, resulting in a striking structure with potential use at festivals or other events that could be easily biodegraded afterward.

The large quantities of gourmet mushrooms which pop out from the structure can also be picked and eaten, creating a novel architectural surrounding which doubles as a food source. A pop-up restaurant grown from mushrooms, serving mushroom meals, is just one potential idea for the project's future, say the creators.

While a number of designers, artists and companies are also working with mycelium in a range of different ways, Aleksi's artistic and versatile new 'sausage' technique is new to the field and a launch-pad for further developments – enhancing the structure's strength, reshaping into different designs, or building on a smaller scale, for example.

Zero waste, carbon neutral buildings can also be built with clay, stone, or wood, but probably don't taste as good.

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