MycoMatrix - Sustainable building system made from mushroom mycelium

Mycelium, the network of fungal hyphae that usually lies underground, has amazing properties that can be used to produce sustainable and energy-neutral building materials. The material is always a composite of the hyphae of the fungus and a substrate (e.g. coffee grounds, wood shavings, agricultural residues) which serves as food for the mycelium and which it completely penetrates in the course of its growth. The mycelium acts as a binding agent for the substrate. Due to its rapid and almost unrestricted growth - mycelium networks can cover an area of one square kilometer - as well as its good insulating properties, mushroom mycelium has become the focus of scientific attention in recent years. The low strength of the material has so far limited applications in the construction industry to its use as an insulating material.

The project is investigating the technical requirements for the use of mushroom mycelium in a statically effective function for the construction industry. The mycelium-substrate compositions are being optimized so that a usable strength of the material can be achieved. Possible areas of application are panel-shaped materials for use in interior construction, semi-finished thermal insulation products, sandwich elements and bricks for interior use. Building components made from mushroom mycelium are biodegradable and can be produced in an almost energy-neutral way. The compressive strength and insulating capacity of the product can be influenced in a targeted manner by the composition of the substrate, and it can also be shaped according to customer requirements. In addition to the continuous optimization of the material properties of the mycelium, further areas of application for mushroom mycelium are to be developed in cooperation with industrial partners in the building materials sector and the small-volume production of these building components is to be tested.