Objects like lamp shades, plant pots, acoustic panels and a foam like packaging material can
all be produced with mycelium.  The mycelium glues particles together in a natural way and forms the biocomposite. We supply the mycelium, which has been pregrown on hemp and Elephant grass.

A short Guide

  • 1. Tools Needed

    You need a mold of the object you want to grow, 70% alcohol to clean surfaces, Mycelium and Latex gloves.

  • 2. Preparation

    Sterilise all tools and surfaces with alcohol (the mold, gloves, tools to apply the mycelium in the mold)

  • 3. Molding

    Crumble the mycelium, put it in the mold and press slightly.

  • 4. Growing Phase

    Keep the mold in a warm space of 24°-30° C for five to seven days.

  • 5. Unmolding

    Carefully take the mold away. You can give it two days extra in a warm and humid space to develop a velvetty skin.

  • 6. Drying

    Dry the object either by placing it in a dry environment with a blower or in an oven.

Variations:

  • Add 30 gr of flour and mix with the crumbled mycelium.
  • You can insert inert materials like wool, stones, shells etc. The mycelium will grow around it and clamp it together as it will shrink during drying.
  • Organic textiles serve as nutrients for the mycelium and may enhance surface strength
  • Wooden pieces inside can be used for load bearing. See the examples we made for
    Floriade WorldExpo Almere.
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Example Projects

De Groene Afslag

Conference center De groen afslag in Laren  has a special mycelium room where some of the objects from Floriade Worldexpo  are shown to the general public.

Biobased Busshelter

WorldExpo Floriade commisioned us at the Living Lab in Bleiswijk to develop a biobased bus stop. The biophilic design by Studio Cartier was inspired by mushrooms. The revolutionary and experimental mushrooms of each 3 meters high and wide were constructed with wood, hemp mycelium, and a textile as the skin. The textile decreased the scrapability of the surface, the wood increased the load bearing. Wind load and safety aspects demanded a lot of attention

Mymo Building Blocks

Another product development with Studio Cartier were osteomorphic building blocks. A special filling technique was developed to produce the blocks efficiently. The prototypes were made in the Living Lab, the 100 pieces for the Floriade World Expo were produced by Grown.bio. The blocks can be turned in different directions and still fit each other. The wooden sides actually serve as a lost mold for the mycelium composite. The blocks were designed in the following sizes:30 x 60 cm, 30 x 120 en 60 x 60.

Growing Airplanes

Growing airplanes was the two year program supported
by Rabobank, Airbus and Ministry of Infrastructure to develop new materials, like carbon fiber colted plates fully grown with mycelium. Some of the results were shown at Floriade World Expo, like the mycelium airplane seats with a combination of wood, pregrown mycelium textile, and mycelium composite.

Start Your Mycelium Project

FAQ

How do you know if your object has dried enough?

To determine if your product has dried sufficiently, the most reliable method is to measure its weight before and after drying. Since mycelium substrate typically contains about 60% moisture, the product should lose 50-60% of its initial weight.

How thick should my object be?