Exploring the Relationship between Concrete and Mycelium Through an Integrated Design Methodology

Abstract

In 2023, the built environment sector was labelled the largest global emitter of greenhouse gases, prompting an increased effort to reduce its embodied carbon. While research in sustainable, low-carbon materials has proved an excellent method to define where we have failed in material use and what we might use in the future, a discussion blending the two is underdeveloped and worthy of further exploration. Also lacking is the number of materials that exist in the grey area between sustainable and structural, with one quality seemingly favoured over the other. It is in this area of architecture that the greatest green impact will be felt, as it then competes with the three largest carbon emitters – concrete, steel and aluminum. This thesis takes concrete, the largest emitter, and contrasts it with mycelium-based composites, an innovative biomaterial whose potential has been constrained by studying it in isolation (solely observing mycelium with its substrate). By comparing them, we stay grounded in the current state of material in architecture and its impact on the planet. By combining them, we have an opportunity to blend their individual properties to offer new applications not previously available to either material.

An integrated design methodology was created to guide the design process through a holistic framework, considering as many factors as possible to use concrete as a means to strengthen mycelium-based composites, and to reach a design proposal for a product that combines the materials in a way that is both practical and sustainable. This inspired a series of material experiments that explored the surface and form bonding capabilities of the materials, as well as how mycelium-based composites paired with deconstructed concrete (cement and recycled concrete aggregate). These experiments then tested for their acoustic properties and compressive strength. Throughout this process, the working methodology was constantly cross-checked with Jason F. McLennan’s six principles of sustainable design as well as proposed sustainable policies to ensure the final product maintained its integrity as a sustainable material. The work culminated in a design proposal for a recycled concrete acoustic masonry unit with a mycelium-based composite infill.