In Australia, a research fellow at University of Technology Sydney’s School of Architecture envisions a future where renewable building materials “sprout” from the forest floor. In an editorial for Architecture and Design, Kumar Biswajit Debnath sings mycelium’s praises as a sustainable alternative to plastics, foams, and construction materials.
Unlike conventional products that rely on fossil fuels, mycelium grows naturally by binding itself to agricultural waste such as straw or sawdust, forming a lightweight but solid block with minimal energy input. Once heat-treated, these blocks retain their shape, creating biodegradable, fire-resistant, and breathable composites.
Designers have already experimented with packaging alternatives, acoustic panels, and temporary structures built from mycelium blocks—demonstrating how construction might one day include components that are grown, not manufactured.