MMMmmushrooms

More often than not, scientists don't think about whether or not they should do something - just if they can. Scientists and engineers are currently experimenting with mushroom-based bricks as a new sustainable building material. The bricks consist of the root system of mushrooms, also known as mycelium. Mycelium is pretty durable and fibrous, so in theory it would be waterproof and relatively safe if used as a building material.

Right now, the bricks are created by combining mycelium with agricultural waste (spoiled food, corn husks, etc). The mycelium is allowed to grow for two weeks and then is heated or chemically treated such that it dies and is no longer able to cultivate. After all, it would be terrible for the bricks of your home to grow out of control and impact the structural integrity of your home if it were to be made from mushroom bricks.

The bricks are pretty durable and function like traditional bricks once cured, only they're organic and biodegradable unlike traditional bricks which consist of clay or concrete. Imagine a house that has been damaged by a storm and needs to be partially or completely reconstructed only now, instead of needing a crew to clear the bricks, they can be shoved into the ground without any repercussions because they are biodegradable. And better yet, the buried bricks may increase the quality of your soil such that you can start a little garden where previously it wasn't possible.

The founder of FUNGAR (Fungal Architectures, launched in 2019) is excited concerning that particular advantage. Again, imagine your home or an office building or a mall needs to be knocked down and instead of sitting in a landfill for thousands of years it can return to Earth with minimal impact.

What is the status of experimentation with these bricks? Currently, the team of engineers is looking at the best way to kill the mycelium prior building and/or if that is the correct approach. In theory, sure the mycelium could grow into the shape of the building you're wanting to build, but it would need to be monitored and maintained. While cosmetic things like holes due to weather (or a particularly angry person) would be a breeze to fix, what would stop the bricks from growing out of control? Potentially some sort of electrical impulse since that's how fungi communicate, however, all it would take is a genetic variant to throw the whole structure off. However, if deprived of water, mycelium doesn't die but instead remains dormant until resources are available, so that would be another potential avenue for control. That stability may not last long, though, because the longer mycelium grows, the more it will eat the support material for the building that helps give it structure.

Remember, fungi function a lot differently than plants and are able to grow in conditions in which many plants are not able to thrive. As a result, FUNGAR is currently planning to build a small freestanding building to see the long-term effects of using living mycelium for a building instead of dead mycelium to see if using living mycelium would be feasible. We look forward to seeing how this technology progresses!

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