So often our imagination is captured by the concept of unseen forces behind the workings of the world. Of course, we often think of the living environment when imagining these forces, but the cycle of decomposition is equally as graceful and important. In this case, the unseen hand behind the entire process is the simple organism of fungus, the most essential building block in the circle of life. We focus our investigation on one peculiar type of fungus: mushroom mycelium.
Tactical Mycelium is an exploration of this mushroom mycelium as a sustainable and ephemeral building material. Inspired by the Tactical Urbanist’s Guide to Materials and Design, Tactical Mycelium both borrows the organic, iterative process of these projects and offers mycelium as an alternative biomaterial for the future tactician’s palette. Ultimately, the project explored the cultivation techniques and logistics of growing a human-scale structure with this fungal network. This material has potential to shift the resources and waste of our cities and economies, and alter the manner in which we maintain, invest in, and imagine our urban and rural landscapes. In a post-carbon future, what other substance offers such untapped promise?
View the full Report here.
