MycovowenⅡ
Biofabrication and Mycorrhiza
Mycelium-based material is a new sustainable material that is often seen as an alternative to plastic in modern design, being processed into a chair, a lampshade, or a container. While the idea of this application has been widely accepted, people are beginning to increasingly develop its value from a materials science perspective, making it more like foam, like wood, like leather. But as a designer, I prefer to think about which other fields can be innovatively applied.
Back in the beginning, Biofabrication was not a new word. It originated in 1994 to describe a scientific phenomenon. But in recent years, it has been increasingly mentioned and used in various fields. It represents a rethinking of the "relationship between man and nature".
Ecological Simulation Box -- 3D printed concrete, mycelium, moss
Mycorrhiza
Mycorrhizal fungi maintain a reciprocal symbiotic relationship with 92% of plants in nature. Plants provide carbon for the growth of mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi break down, absorb and transport many forms of nutrients that plants cannot absorb directly. Es act as a natural fertilizer, and insulate the roots of plants in the winter.
Graphic by K. Garcia, NC State University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
What happens when this partnership is brought to a human-inhabited environment? What kind of connections would be created between fungi, plants, people and their habitat? What would they bring to each other? Based on these reflections, I proposed the vision of applying mycorrhizal symbiotic relationships to vertical green walls in cities.
Concept
I would like to use mycorrhizal fungi and the plants they colonize to build vertical green walls as facades for normal residential buildings in the city. The mycorrhizal fungus will make the plants grow more vigorously, and mycelium will grow into a magnificent layer between the wall and the plants, which will protect the plants' roots and serve as a heat and sound insulation for the building.
In this system, the near-wall surface must be covered with a protective layer that prevents the penetration of water and air, while the near-mycelium and near-plant surface must have high surface roughness and high porosity, which favour the penetration of water on the surface and inside. Furthermore, there must be sufficient space. In addition, an external surface must be added to support and protect the plant.
3D STRUCTURE Design
At the micro-level, the facade's surface should be porous and rough so that mycelium and small plants can adhere to it better and many opportunistic plants such as algae and mosses can grow. From a macro geometric point of view, the surface must have crossed flow obstacles, such as bark, that allow water to remain on the facade longer so that the water can percolate slowly.
To build this structure, I used PHYSAREALM, a slime mold algorithm. It can create interstitial, interwoven, and coherent structures on different surfaces. It starts from a fixed point and grows toward the point set as "food". Meanwhile, it can avoid selected areas, such as windows and pipes. Finally, it builds the shortest path to the food and spreads across the whole surface simultaneously.
I took a small piece of the complex structure for parameter fitting. A coherent flow barrier, a dense structure, and interpenetrating gaps are my main focuses when thinking about geometric shapes. Morphology not only improves water utilization and the stability of the overall system structure but also gives the roots and mycelium a chance to interact with each other.
Design Options
Mycogarten
The mycorrhizal fungus not only makes the plants grow stronger and better supplied with water, but the mycelium also grows between the wall and the plants, forming an excellent layer of mycelial plates that protect the roots of the plants and insulate the building against warmth and sound.
