Use of mycelium in architecture: a research and experimental architectural workshop

Mycelium, the living network of fungal hyphae, is a promising biodegradable material for architecture. In an intensive design-build workshop, 16 architecture students followed a six-step process integrating biological growth and computational design to produce full-scale, rule-based modular bricks. Ten of the 16 designs and two solid controls were grown; the thermally inactivated bricks were evaluated as wall elements for light and shadow. The study qualitatively examines how substrate affects geometric fidelity and integrity, how void-to-mass ratio affects colonization and self-support, and whether a constrained rule-based system yields formal variety. Sawdust performed best, textile adequately, and hemp worst, with two brittle hemp bricks lost during demolding. Precise 3D-printed PLA molds limited dimensional losses to millimeters, and colonization was rated from somewhat compact to compact. A shape-grammar reading (Stiny 2006) found all 16 designs topologically distinct. The workshop offers a model for integrating regenerative materials into architectural education and practice.Highlights:A six-step workflow took modular mycelium bricks from design to full scale.Substrate choice is critical, with fine-grain substrates yielding best results in this cohort.Integrating 3D-printed moulds is highly effective for precise MBC fabrication.Void-to-mass ratio is a measurable architectural property of the grown module.Rule-based computational design frameworks can generate diverse shape grammar.