shell mycelium: exploring fungus growth as a possible building block

in an era of concrete jungles and overcrowded cities, degradability, sustainability and liability become integral parts of architecture. with this in mind, the ‘shell mycelium – degradation movement manifesto’ installation is an innovation in the field of biology and architecture – highlighting a concept that stresses the need for temporality. more specifically, the project looks at mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus – which is being touted for the first time in india as a possible building block. 

the ‘shell mycelium‘ installation – exhibited during the MAP project space festival at the dutch warehouse as a kochi muziris biennale collateral – was the work of kochi based architect asif rahman of beetles 3.3 (B3.3), italian architect giombattista areddia and lebanese architect mohamad yassin of yassin areddia design (YAD). the team met in barcelona during the IAAC masters programme and were introduced to mycotecture by inventor-artist philip ross, who has been studying mushrooms with fast growing mycelia as building material. the three architects were fascinated by this concept, as they had been discussing the nature of building and humans. 

the degradation movement manifesto was a combination of the architects’ experience in barcelona and their collective discussions. for the kochi muziris biennale, they wanted to start a conversation on a global platform and convey their revolutionary concept through a simple installation made of a wooden framework, plywood and mycelium. ‘every living thing should go through a lifecycle and this goes for our shelters as well. the degradation movement in architecture upholds the bio-logic, the logic for a degradable need,’ as explained by the team. the installation is site specific, which means that the display area, local labour and materials were all taken into consideration. 

the trio started off with research at a local mushroom farm, where experiments led to the selection of the right mushroom and the study of growth patterns. the wooden structure for the ‘shell mycelium’ installation was designed to sit within the degrading dutch warehouse – like a reflection of sorts. the final outcome was a framework with an open design – inviting both exploration by visitors and physical disintegration. to elaborate, ‘the shell pavilion is […] made of spores and the wooden structure forms the growing ground; the mycelium eat it, merge with it, transform it and grow through it. the pavilion will be a building, which after it is born, will grow along with its visitors, and die once its purpose is fulfilled. the only remains left behind are the experience left under it’. 

at some point, the structure was covered in coir pith which contained the fungus and after a few days of tending, the mycelium grew and formed a snowy layer over the installation. the top layer died due to sunlight and formed a shell that protects the bottom layers. as the Biennale came to a close, the structure had slowly started to disintegrate, while curious visitors experience it. ultimately, this project is a ‘living installation that shows that everything that is born must grow and then die’.

according to maria john, ‘the beauty of the installation from the degradation movement is the creation of moments between art, society and architecture. the shell mycelium was an artistic expression of degradation. it questions the status quo and opens up the door to new sustainable possibilities’. 

SHELL MYCELIUM [degradation movement manifesto] – timelapse 1.0
video from [degradation_movement] 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom