Mushroom Building Materials Grown To Be Stronger Than Brick

Fungi has already been used to make lamps that are good enough to eat, but mycologist Philip Ross has some much bigger plans for them. Using the root-like fibers called mycelium, he has created a water-, mold- and fire-resistant building material that is stronger than concrete. Not only that, but it’s completely organic, compostable, and easy to mold into any conceivable shape.

It might sound too good to be true, but Ross has already put the idea to work as part of his Mycotecture project, which features an arch grow exclusively from the fungus Ganoderma lucidum (also known as Reishi or Ling-chi) at the Far West Fungimushroom farm in Monterey, California. This particular test structure is also part of a much larger project which aims to grow an entire building out of fungal material. On his website, Ross said, “My goal is to create a space that can shelter 12-20 people at a time.”

http://www.psfk.com/2014/06/mycotecture-fungus-bricks.html#!4I7x4

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