Stronger than Concrete: Philip Ross Molds Fast-Growing Fungi Into Mushroom Building Bricks

There, Philip Ross is erecting a small laboratory in which he will grow mushrooms that will be used to produce a series of chairs and stools. “I want to demonstrate how you can create this kind of fabrication using local agricultural waste,” Ross told Food Republic regarding his Workshop Residence furniture.

The lab was still under construction when we visited, but some of Ross’ completed works were on display. The exciting thing about mycelium is that it can be used to build virtually anything. In many of Ross’ creations he grows the fungus into a brick, which becomes super hard and surprisingly lightweight once it dries. For example, in Mycotecture, one of his most ambitious structures, Ross grew the fungus Ganoderma lucidum (or Reishi) into bricks at the Far West Fungi mushroom farm in Monterey, California, and stacked them into an arch. A variety of different lacquers and finishes can also be applied to the outer layer of the bricks to seal them and give them a glossy finish.

“It has the potential to be a substitute for many petroleum-based plastics. It’s left the art world and seems to have entered a Science Fiction novel or something like that,” explained Ross in a recent interview with Glasstire. “With this stuff it’s possible to go into regional production of biomaterials. For instance, here in San Francisco, we could start producing lots of local materials using this fungus and could create a pilot project of sorts.”

In 2011, Ross applied for a patent for the use of mycelium as an organic building material (the patent is still pending). Ross isn’t just interested in mycelium’s potential as a building material, though — he also uses it as a medium for fine art. His work has been on display at several at museums around the world, and his work is currently part of the “Intimate Science” exhibition, which opens at Real Art Ways in Hartford Connecticut in November.

picture: Philip Ross