Tag Archives: mycelium

These sustainable Mushroom lamps are actually grown into their funnel shapes, instead of being mass produced

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With its oddly rustic design aesthetic, Sebastian Cox’s Mycelium pendant lamps aren’t made… they’re grown.

Mycelium, or the vegetative part of a mushroom, has found itself in the limelight for being a cheap, sustainable, and vegan alternative to suede and leather. If treated correctly, it looks and feels just like leather, offering a cruelty-free and biodegradable alternative that doesn’t have as much of a carbon footprint either. Teaming up with researcher Ninela Ivanova, British designer Sebastian Cox’s “Mycelium + Timber” examines the viability of mycelium as a potential material in commercial furniture design. The mycelium fibers are bound to scrap strips of willow wood, which provides the base and fodder for the fungus to grow. The result is the absolute antithesis of mass production. Designed in part by nature, each lamp is unique, has its own aesthetic, and is beautiful in its imperfections.

The lamps take anywhere between 4-12 weeks to ‘grow’. The scrap willow wood is first sourced from Cox’s own woodland, and cut into fine strips before being woven into shape and placed inside a mold. The mold is then filled with a fungus called fomes fomentarius, which was cultivated using more scrap strips of wood. Inside the mold, the mycelium and wood fuse together, creating a unique type of composite material. “In our workshop, we don’t use composite wood materials because I’ve never been quite satisfied with the binding agent holding the wood together,” Cox said in an interview with Dezeen. “As a result, I’ve always had a kind of fantasy interest in ‘reinventing’ a type of MDF and finding new ways to bind wood fibers into either sheets or mounded forms, ideally without glue.” The resulting lamp is removed from the mold when it’s fully grown and is supplied with 2.5m of oatmeal round fabric braided cable. The entire Mycelium lamp is sustainably produced and entirely compostable.

“It’s not just about the fungus, it’s about the marriage of the two materials,” adds Ninela Ivanova, a researcher who collaborated with Cox over this project. “These two materials have a natural relationship in the woodland, so let’s see how we can exploit that.” The duo plan to continue their collaboration and are working on releasing a full collection of mycelium and wood composite products in the near future.

Designer: Sebastian Cox with Ninela Ivanova

This biodegradable shoe is crafted using waste materials and 3D knitting!

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Sneaker culture has encouraged creativity but also added to a lot of waste since it is a part of fast fashion. Traditional sneakers have a short lifespan and with ‘drops’ increasing, people tend to buy and throw much faster. The complicated construction and the use of different materials (rubber, textile, various plastics, etc.) make these almost impossible and unprofitable to disassemble or recycle which is why Burfeind designed Sneature which is a sustainable sneaker alternative for the eco-conscious sneakerheads.

The shoe is crafted from many waste materials. The yarn made of dog hair (Chiengora) which is a biological waste being upcycled – this is innovation. Sneature is biodegradable as well! The design does take into account the functional requirements of a trainer and individual customization by the user. The process uses a 3D knitting technology that allows for customization and on-demand production while using the lowest possible energy consumption method.

The membrane is a protein-based 3D knit made from dog hair. It transports the functional properties of flexibility, stiffness, and air circulation with a very second-skin feel, similar to the sock sneaker style we’ve been seeing. These materials have natural properties that provide water absorption and release and anti-static properties. A thin layer of flexible bio-rubber/bioplastic forms the transition from the membrane to the sole. The junction of the membrane and sole is water-repellent against splashing or moisture from below awhile protecting the membrane in areas that quickly wear out. The transition also serves as a cushion and protects against rapid abrasion of all other areas in order to extend the lifespan of the shoe. The sole is made of mushroom mycelium which can be used as a composite material with local vegetable waste. The area is designed to be made of bioplastics which means this material can be produced at home or in a maker‘s lab like DIY materials.

“The sneaker was segmented into functional and structural areas (membrane, transition, sole) in order to implement the tested materials in a suitable way, taking into account the functional properties of the different areas. Because of the possible integration into an industrial production process, the membrane – the integrative core of the shoe – was created using a 3D-knitting technique. In order to approach the problem and conceptualize a solution, a fundamental factor for the ecological properties of every product – the material was examined. The design is based on a series of material experiments with natural raw fibers,” says Burfeind.

Designer: Emilie Burfeind

This sustainable helmet is a DIY design made from mushrooms & grows on its own!

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This mushroom helmet will grow on you as it grows. Yes, read this slowly and carefully: this mushroom helmet will grow on you as it grows. “What do you mean?!” you say and I assure you that statement is not wrong, there is an explanation for it. The Grow It Yourself Helmet is a sustainable product made from mycelium which is the vegetative part of a fungus.

Mycelium is the thready hyphae that are tightly woven into mass branch-like networks making it a strong sustainable material. The network of filaments are natural binders and they also are self-adhesive to the surface they grow on. The entire process is based on biological elements that help in upcycling waste. The process of making this helmet also gets the kids involved in a meaningful activity that teaches them about sustainability and safety.”We have developed a helmet that can be made out of hay and Mycelium. It is 100% compostable, breathable, and impact resistant. The helmet reduces the use of plastics in a product that will be disposed of in a short time due to the child’s growth rate,” says the team at NOS Design. To further develop this design, NOS partnered with a company called Polybion which developed Fungicel (a patent that uses mycelium). This fungus grows like foam and therefore can provide cushioning at the time of impact.

This mushroom material is biodegradable, sustainable, and a low-cost alternative to materials while also possessing thermal and fire-resistant properties – in fact, mycelium is being used in the construction industry too as an alternative to cement which is responsible for 12% of the industry’s 39% contribution in the world’s carbon footprint. Mycelium composite manufacturing can also be a catalyst in developing new bioindustries in rural areas, generating sustainable economic growth while creating new jobs. NOS Design is known for its environmentally friendly products and this design blends sustainability with a DIY activity that rewards us with a product we can use every day.

Designers: Diego Mata and NOS Design

NASA plans to use mushrooms to build sustainable housing on Mars like this one!

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Let’s accept it – climate change is the biggest design problem of our lifetime. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, every brand from fashion to mental health and even construction is incorporating sustainable solutions in their work. In fact, a recent exhibition in Somerset, London was dedicated entirely to “the remarkable mushroom” showcasing its versatility. I am curious how mushrooms are used for construction given that that particular industry contributes to 39% of the world’s carbon footprint and we know a fun-guy (get it?!) who might have a solution.

The construction industry emits 4 times more CO2 than the aviation industry and that is enough proof they must focus on ecodesign to reduce their colossal impact especially when sustainable materials, like mycelium composites, already exist! This material is created by growing mycelium–the thread-like main body of a fungus–of certain mushroom-producing fungi on agricultural wastes. The mycelia are composed of a network of filaments called “hyphae,” which are natural binders and they also are self-adhesive to the surface they grow on. The entire process is based on biological elements that also help in upcycling waste and reducing dependency on toxic fossil fuels. Mycelium composite manufacturing can also be a catalyst in developing new bioindustries in rural areas, generating sustainable economic growth while creating new jobs.

This mushroom material is biodegradable, sustainable and a low-cost alternative to construction materials while also possessing thermal and fire-resistant properties. The Living has designed an organic 42 feet tall mycelium tower to show the potential of using mushrooms for stable structures which is just one of many such projects. Mycelium materials are also being tested for being acoustic absorber, packaging materials, and building insulation. Even NASA is currently researching using mycelium to build sustainable habitable dwellings on Mars – if we have to move into a mushroom house, might as well test it on Earth first, right? The construction industry has to act now if they want to build in/a future.

Designer: The Living

Cement alone is responsible for a massive 8% of global CO₂ emissions and the construction industry has to start using alternative materials to transition smoothly into a more sustainable future.

Energy used to heat, cool, and light buildings account for 28% of these emissions while the remaining 11% of buildings’ carbon emissions consist of those associated with construction and building materials.

Mycelium composite is formed when “mycelia” digest the nutrients from agricultural waste and bonds to the surface of the waste material by also serving as a natural self-assembling glue.

The materials are low-density, and therefore very light when compared to other construction materials while still being able to provide structural stability as shown in various architectural projects.

Fungus headphones offer a glimpse at the renewable future of electronics

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It turns out headphones are the perfect product to showcase the potential for growing electronics. The typical set has a mix of plastic, leather and mesh -- not the most environmentally friendly ingredients. To prove that we could swap those out for...