[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/ga\/article\/modal\/13832\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFrom mushrooms to new architecture: the rise of living, self-healing buildings\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn his office in the Netherlands, Professor Han W\u00f6sten holds up a hard sponge-like block for show.\u0026nbsp;It is a material he made in 2012 using the intricate rooting network of fungi.\u0026nbsp;He has bold predictions about the potential of this stuff.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTen years from now, we should have the first fungal buildings,\u201d said W\u00f6sten, a professor of molecular biology at Utrecht University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is not talking about mouldy walls, but something far more exciting \u2013 materials that are alive, sustainable, and full of potential.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EW\u00f6sten studies how different fungi operate within a mycelium\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;nature\u2019s internet, a living network of threads that nourishes fungi and connects plants by sharing resources and information.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is now engineering fungal \u201cthreads\u201d into sustainable, biodegradable alternatives to plastic, wood and leather \u2013 materials already sparking new uses in fashion, furniture and construction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFuture-proof \u201cliving\u201d buildings\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EW\u00f6sten is part of a team of researchers from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK who are\u0026nbsp;exploring a radical idea: what if the materials we build with could grow, repair themselves, and even sense their environment?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis EU-funded research initiative, called Fungateria, is developing engineered living materials (ELMs) by fusing fungal mycelia with bacteria \u2013 creating adaptable, self-healing materials that do what conventional products cannot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnlike traditional materials like concrete or plastic, ELMs can\u0026nbsp;grow, repair themselves, sense changes in their environment, and sometimes even adapt over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003ETen years from now, we should have the first fungal buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EHan W\u00f6sten, Fungateria\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers aim to design these materials so that they combine the strength of natural growth with the functionality of engineering. For example, walls that fix their own cracks, building blocks that absorb CO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E, or surfaces that can clean the air.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe goal is to create\u0026nbsp;sustainable, low-waste materials\u0026nbsp;that work\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;nature instead of against it, opening the door to smarter, greener architecture and products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAlready we can make leather-like materials or insulation panels from these extended fungal networks,\u201d said W\u00f6sten.\u0026nbsp;\u201cNow we want to go to the next stage and grow buildings, but in a controlled way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELow waste, high efficiency\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are considerable savings to be made. The construction sector generates more than one third of the EU\u2019s total waste.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGreenhouse gas emissions from material extraction and manufacturing construction products, as well as construction and renovation of buildings, contribute an estimated 5% to 12% of the total\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu\/industry\/sustainability\/buildings-and-construction_en\u0022\u003Enational emissions\u003C\/a\u003E of EU Member States. Greater material efficiency could save 80% of those emissions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrucially, while manufacturing concrete emits very large quantities of CO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change, fungal-composite buildings could upcycle agricultural waste into building material while reducing carbon emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea of living organisms in buildings may unsettle some people. But for Professor Phil Ayres, a pioneer in the field of biohybrid architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation in Copenhagen, this is a social adaptation that will happen over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve eaten foods with living organisms for hundreds of years. We have only been looking at the potential applications of these organisms in the building sector for the last 20 years.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAyres, who coordinates the work of the Fungateria research team,\u0026nbsp;wants to overturn the dogma of his fellow architects that materials are controllable and have fixed properties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAll constructions change over time in quite dramatic ways.\u0026nbsp;If we began to think about buildings more like organisms in a continuous state, we might create architecture that is more ecologically connected,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBridging fields from microbiology to architecture and ethics, the researchers are also engaging the public through exhibitions like the Venice Biennale and workshops that challenge traditional ideas of what buildings can be.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGrowth control\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA mushroom in the forest is just the tip \u2013 hidden below it is a massive mycelium network, sometimes weighing tonnes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EIf we began to think about buildings more like organisms in a continuous state, we might create architecture that is more ecologically connected.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EPhil Ayres, Fungateria\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor construction, the fungal hyphae \u2013 the thread-like filaments \u00ad\u2013 can be encouraged to feed on agricultural waste to form a strong, lightweight and insulating composite. But controlling this growth is key to making safe, durable structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fungal species being used by the researchers is the splitgill mushroom, or \u003Cem\u003ESchizophyllum commune. \u003C\/em\u003EIt primarily grows on dead wood, which poses a potential risk.\u0026nbsp;The growth of the mycelium needs to be stopped when the structure is completed so that it does not begin eating through wood supports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne method uses nature\u2019s own signals: light and temperature can cue the fungus to grow or stop. Another involves bacteria genetically engineered at the University of Ghent in Belgium.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese bacteria feed the fungus essential nutrients. Therefore, killing the bacteria halts fungal growth. The same bacteria can even be programmed to release antifungal compounds on command, providing an extra safety layer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFuture proof\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlready, the Fungateria researchers, who will continue their collaboration until late-2026, have shown that the fungus can grow and survive under stressful conditions such as drought and high temperatures. That means it is resilient to the possible impact of changing climatic conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team\u0026nbsp;is already envisioning a time when buildings are made from wood and fungus matter grown on agricultural waste in a living process of construction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn the future, I can imagine that we will grow complete buildings where the wood will be the supporting structure and the fungus grows along and between the wood frames,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;W\u00f6sten.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs global demand for sustainable solutions intensifies, this research points to a future where architecture is not just inspired by nature, but made of it \u2013 alive, adaptive and intertwined with the ecosystems around it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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