“Growing” Furniture from Bioplastics
Spanish magazine Distrito Oficina features an in-depth article on futuristic material Mycoform, a product based on mycelium, recycled inert materials and bacteria. Here’s what it can do.
Backed by the Ecovative company, the Terreform One and Genspace labs have developed Mycoform, a design for seating made out of a new biological material: a substrate of mycelium (Ganoderma Lucidum fungus), wood shaving filler, gypsum, oatmeal, and an outer skin of bacterial cellulose. The fungus “digests” the inert matter, converting it into a hard biopolymer suitable for architectural use.
The Spanish magazine Distrito Oficina’s in-depth feature highlights the production process’s sustainability and the accessibility of an easily reproducible technology, even in developing countries. At the end of its useful life, Mycoform can be composted and returned to the environment to biodegrade naturally.
Early prototypes developed so far include a chaise longue, made out of a series of white slats created using parametric CAD design and an upholstered top, and a child’s seat composed of interlocking segments. The furniture is created through a natural growth process. All portions are digitally designed and cut; however, the internal segments are developed using fungal strains within the seating’s three-dimensional geometries.
Credits
Original text: Marcel Benedito
Photo: courtesy of Distrito Oficina
Magazine: Distrito Oficina
Publisher: Distrito Ediciones SL.
