Strategies for Growing Large-Scale Mycelium Structures

Fungi-based materials (myco-materials) have been celebrated and experimented with for their architectural and structural potential for over a decade. This paper describes research applied to assembly strategies for growing large building units and assembling them into efficiently formed wall prototypes. A major concern in the development of these two fabrication strategies is to design re-usable formwork systems. La Parete Fungina demonstrates two undulating wall units standing side-by-side, each composed of seventeen myco-welded slabs. L'Orso Fungino revisits the in situ monolithic fabric forming of units that are repeated, stacked, and post-tensioned. Although the design and research presented in this paper focuses on overcoming the challenges of growing large-scale building components, this work also touches on issues of accessibility and technology, economic and logistical systems needed for building-scale applications, and material ethics of energy and waste associated with emerging biomaterial production.

Automated summary

This paper describes research on assembly strategies for growing large building units and assembling them. The study focuses on overcoming the challenges of growing large-scale building components and discusses the material ethics of energy and waste associated with emerging biomaterial production.