Biodegradable furniture built with fungi

Terreform ONE are using growing fungi and bacteria as a low-cost, low-energy solution for sustainable furniture.

We’ve seen a few examples of bioengineering being used to provide sustainable materials, from beer and coffee 3D printing filament, to compostable drones made of mushrooms. Also using the power of fungi are Terreform ONE, who are building pollution-free furniture using ‘shrooms.

The team employ a certain fungal species called mycelia. Using 3D computer-aided design, they combine mycelia with various types of organic material, and control the expansion of the substances within prefabricated molds. This growth is powered by low-cost, low-energy materials such as oat bran and gypsum, and its rapid expansion results in a dense matrix, which provides structural support. A range of recycled materials (such as recycled aluminum) can coat the surface of the finished product. Terreform ONE are currently developing their prototypes at the Genspace community lab in New York.

Terreform ONE hope that their designs can provide an alternative to widespread inorganic plastic use. We have already seen trees that grow in the shape of furniture. How else could biomaterials be used?