Mushrooms help architects and engineers SolvMushrooms help architects and engineers tackle one of the world’s greatest crises: climate change. These fungi are durable, biodegradable and prove to be a healthy solution to more polluting chemicals. One of the greatest problems in the world: climate change. These fungi are durable, biodegradable and prove to be a healthy alternative to more polluting products.
“Our built environment needs these kinds of materials,” says David Benjamin, founding principal architect at the firm The Living. “Different countries have really ambitious climate change goals, and this material could really help jump-start some of that progress.”
Building materials and manufacturing make up around one-quarter materials made from mycelium, the fungal network from which mushrooms emerge may help to turn them around. They contain much less carbon dioxide on the earth than conventional products such as cement. The added benefit is that the mushrooms are biodegradable, leaving less toxic residue behind than conventional construction materials. Mushrooms can also assist with clean-up efforts by feeding items that would once have ended up in a landfill, such as sawdust or farm waste. of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. That’s more than a blend of the multinational shipping and aviation industries. The situation is getting worse.
Materials made from mycelium, the fungal network from which mushrooms emerge, may help to turn them around. They contain much less carbon dioxide on the earth than conventional products such as cement. The added benefit is that the mushrooms are biodegradable, leaving less toxic residue behind than conventional construction materials. Mushrooms can also assist with clean-up efforts by feeding items that would once have ended up in a landfill, such as sawdust or farm waste.
Construction products made from mushrooms are only in the early stages of research and growth. Yet they show promise as an insulation medium and as a substitute for concrete blocks. The Verge spoke to some of the people who were leading the mushroom movement. We also made a mushroom brick of our own and put it to the test. Check out the video above to see how good the mushrooms did.
