GROWING SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
06 Nov 2018
A mushroom-based insulation system has been developed that offers a natural, biodegradable construction alternative that can reduce the impact construction has on the environment.
UK entrepreneur Ehab Syed has developed a mushroom-based insulation with his company Biohm, embodying techniques that are “completely natural, biodegradable and vegan”.
Biohm has developed the material from a vegetative part of mushrooms called mycelium, with attractions such as efficient insulation performance, natural self-extinguishing, air purification, and waste consumption. The insulation blocks are made from allowing fungus within the material that feeds off sawdust to grow into a mould. Once dried, the material growth halts, resulting in a rigid material that can be sanded and painted.
“Mushrooms or fungi are truly wondrous organisms with significant untapped potential,” said Biohm. “We are experimenting with different species of mycelium to create sustainable alternatives to some of the construction industry’s most damaging materials. Mycelium consumes organic and synthetic waste to grow into desired shapes and different types of waste alter its properties.
This investigative research into vegan insulation material forms part of Biohm’s ‘Triagomy’ system, featuring an interlocking construction typology that creates durable, robust structures without binders or fasteners. According to Biohm, the adoption of the Triagomy method could produce 40 to 90 percent reductions in the environmental impact of the construction process and a 42 percent carbon footprint reduction.
As reported by Global Construction Review, the material will come to the market in the coming months, with interest expressed by Tata Steel, Heathrow Airport and leading UK house builders.