The Fungi Factory

Abstract

The graduation project started with my fascination for mycelium-based materials, ecology and the circular economy. The main goal I strive to incorporate within the design project is circularity by integrating the ecology within the existing build environment and society. Therefore, I choose the Harvest studio of Architectural Engineering chair, because this studio is focused on the synergy between technology and design to solve societal issues. Within this studio we work through all scales, from region to object, in which I tried to close waste streams to incorporate circularity within my graduation project. Which gave me the feeling to contribute to a better and sustainable future.
The objective is to research and design with the possibilities of applying fungi though different scales within the built environment of the region Parkstad in Limburg, using different organic waste streams of local industries. The “roots” of this living organism called mycelium, can transform this waste into valuable new building materials. This way a symbiotic entanglement with the ecosystem can be arranged by literally implementing living organisms within the architectural design. This can be accomplished by investigating the qualities of mycelium-based materials, the production process and growing modular building objects that eventually disappears within the ecosystem after its use instead of harming the planet.
The design project is located in two vacant steel construction halls in Schinveld. The goal of this project is to revitalize this abandoned industrial terrain into a “Fungi Factory”: a factory for the production of mycelium-based materials. I tried to add a positive value to these halls by designing a factory and a place where people work, meet and learn about new innovations. The factory is leaving a positive footprint on the environment because it is not depending on fossil fuels and it is closing organic waste streams within the region. In this way I tried to create a balance between ecology and economy. Within the hall I designed a dynamic landscape of flexible units that can easily adapt to the growing scale of the production process and the demand of the users. Within the materialization of the design project will form a showcase of the variety of the applications of mycelium-based materials. With the help of mycelium I tried to design an example towards a sustainable future.