Researchers are experimenting with mushrooms as a material for houses and furniture. The material can be grown directly in the appropriate shape and could replace chipboard and polystyrene.
(Julia Rieder, 04/28/2026 - 01:06 PM)

Fungus-based materials combine "ecological sustainability with technical functionality," says Hannes Hinneburg from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP). The versatility of mushroom materials is particularly fascinating. Depending on the intended use, scientists can grow light, flexible or porous materials, but also hard composites.

How mushrooms become building materials

The key to the mushrooms' versatility is the mycelium: a finely branched mesh of mushroom threads that runs through the substrate on which the mushroom grows. It makes up the bulk of the fungus, while we only perceive the fruiting body with stem and cone with the naked eye. Researchers use the ability of the mycelium to form dense networks to produce biodegradable composites.

And this is how it works: The selected fungus, such as an oyster sideling or a species of tree fungus, is placed in a container together with a nutrient medium. According to Hinneburg, sawdust, straw or other agricultural and forestry residues are suitable as a food source.
"The fungus grows through the substrate completely and 'bonds‘ the particles to form a stable composite," explains the researcher. The growth is then stopped by heating.

Sustainable and flexibly malleable

Especially with mycelium material: It can be grown in any geometry – round, square, in the form of blocks for further processing or directly as a lampshade or other design object. This distinguishes the mushrooms from other renewable raw materials such as wood.
"With mycelium, you can grow products into the shape you need in a few days," says Dirk Hebel, Professor of Sustainable Building at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

In addition, the mushroom products have a good ecological balance: the growth process requires little energy, and the use of regional residues as a breeding ground contributes to sustainability.

Lever also sees a decisive advantage in the fact that mycelium materials are completely biodegradable. This makes them suitable for a circular construction method in which all components of a building become new resources at the end of their life cycle.

According to the construction expert, fungal mycelium has the potential to replace synthetic adhesives in wood-based panels. For this purpose, a project is currently running at KIT, which is intended to bring mycelium panels to market as a replacement for particle boards in the construction and furniture industry.

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