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.
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday June 21 2017, @10:17AM
Bright idea, but not a new idea:
Now You Can Buy Gorgeous Furniture Made of Mushrooms [soylentnews.org]
Philip Ross Molds Fast-Growing Fungi Into Mushroom Building Bricks That Are Stronger than Concrete [inhabitat.com]
Mushrooms hold potential for sustainable building materials [phys.org]
Mushroom Based Building Materials Are Here (With Video) [planetsave.com]
Mycelium: The Future of Building with Mushrooms and Organics [buildabroad.org]
The Future of Construction: Mushroom Buildings [interestingengineering.com]
Surprising New Uses for Mushrooms, From Houses to Packaging [nationalgeographic.com]
Making houses out of mushrooms [bbc.com]
Now most of the incarnations of mushrooms as a building material don't grow edible mushrooms out the sides. But they could be used as replacements for bricks, foam, and wood.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]