Hello everybody.
My name is and today I wanted to talk about something quite unusual but incredibly
interesting – mushrooms as a building material. Specifically, mycelium, the root system of fungi, and
how it is becoming a revolutionary material in construction industry.
I decided to talk about this because as we all know the world is facing environmental challenges and
need to find more sustainable ways of building. Mycelium offers a potential solution of these problems
and I believe it is important to explore new, eco friendly materials that could change the future of
construction.
On this slide I’ve outlined a brief plan of my presentation. I’ll start with an introduction to what
mycelium is and what are its main properties. Next, I’ll explain how it is used in construction, followed
by few words about its advantages and disadvantages as a construction material. And finally, I’ll briefly
talk about the future of this material in the industry.
As I mentioned before, mycelium is the root system of fungi, it’s a part responsible for their life
functions and gives them their typical shapes. It consists of branched filaments forming a tangled
structure. Due to its structure, mycelium has unique physical properties, such as: lightweight, high
strength and durability, flexibility, biodegradability, moisture absorption, reproductive and self-healing
capability, thermal conductivity.
The properties of mycelium find broad applications in construction industry.
Mycelium can be used as a natural thermal and acoustic insulator in building projects. Its porous
structure makes it excellent at regulating temperature and reducing noise, providing energy efficient
and comfortable environment.
Its lightweight, high strength and durability allows it to be used as a structural element, for example
where reduced load-bearing material is needed, such as non-load-bearing-walls, roofing materials and
lightweight structure.
The flexibility and ability to be molded in different shapes make mycelium suitable for sustainable
furniture production and decorative elements.
In this section I would also like to present practical examples of mycelium applications in existing
projects. On the first picture you can see the Hy-Fi tower in New-York, probably the first object where
mycelium was used on a large scale. Next is The Shell Mycelium Pavilion, the first demonstration of
mycelium’s potential on the Indian subcontinent. Lastly, I wanted to show the MycoTree a structural
installation showcased in Seoul.
Now let’s discuss advantages of mycelium compared to traditional materials.
The key advantages are of course environmental benefits. Mycelium is biodegradable and won’t linger
in landfills for centuries. It’s processed with minimal energy, significantly reducing carbon emissions. The
material grows quickly in labs and the process itself is relatively low. In addition, as I mentioned before,
it naturally has excellent self-healing capabilities so it can be renewed easily.
Despite the promising advantages, there are also several challenges for this material.
For example, it can’t be used in wet conditions or extreme climates. Also, current building codes and
standards may not accommodate the usage of mycelium, so it’s necessary to develop new ones. In
addition, the rapid growth of mycelium can be problematic, as it may create issues with transporting it
to construction sites.
To conclude the presentation, I would like to say that the future of mycelium in the construction
industry overall looks very promising, with ongoing research and technological advancements, it has the
potential to revolutionize sustainable construction practices in the near future.
The list of potential future developments in mycelium construction includes:
-Development of hybrid materials combining mycelium with other sustainable substances for upgraded
properties;
-Expansion into large-scale infrastructure projects like bridges and public buildings;
Advancements in modular and prefabricated mycelium construction elements for quick and effective
building process.
