The interdisciplinary project “MycoKnit: Cultivating Mycelium-Based Composites on Knitted Textiles for Large-Scale Biodegradable Architectural Structures” brings together architecture and material science researchers at Penn State to explore mycelium and knitted textiles as sustainable building materials.
Led by co-principal investigators Felecia Davis, associate professor of architecture and director of the Computational Textiles Lab (SOFTLAB), and Benay Gürsoy, assistant professor of architecture and director of the Form and Matter Lab (ForMat), the team received the Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) Foundation 2021 Research Prize. The $40,000 grant supports their research into combining mycelium-based composites with knitted textile structures for use in biodegradable architecture.
Mycelium, the vegetative structure of fungi, consists of a network of hyphae threads, which can be cultivated to form strong, biodegradable composites. By growing mycelium on knitted textiles, the research team aims to create a composite that merges the tensile flexibility of textiles with the compressive strength of mycelium, resulting in materials that can be both lightweight and durable. The researchers envision that such materials could serve as sustainable alternatives to conventional construction materials like concrete and steel, which contribute significantly to global carbon emissions and landfill waste.
The concept for MycoKnit was initiated by Davis’s SOFTLAB and Gürsoy’s ForMat Lab, with a focus on integrating the architectural potential of responsive knitted textiles with the biological properties of mycelium. Farzaneh Oghazian, a doctoral candidate in the SOFTLAB, has developed algorithms and machine-learning tools to simulate the behavior of knitted tension structures, while Andre West, director of the Zeis Knitting Lab at North Carolina State University, has worked on scaling up the production of these textiles for large-scale applications. Penn State students Ian Danner, a graduate student in arts education, and Sophia Craparo, an undergraduate in materials science, contribute by hand-machining knitted prototypes that serve as substrates for mycelium growth.
The project employs a two-part composite system: knitted fabric serves as a structural framework providing tensile strength, while dried mycelium, grown onto the knit, offers compressive resilience. This meshed composite system aims to develop lightweight, large-scale structures suitable for biodegradable architectural applications. The researchers are investigating knitted textiles made of organic yarns as both a scaffold and nutrient source for mycelium growth, allowing the fungal network to decompose and interlace with the textile substrate as it matures. This process can create a graded composite with varying material properties, which can be shaped through formwork, additive, or subtractive manufacturing techniques.
In addition to the work on textile structures, Gürsoy and her doctoral student Ali Ghazvinian at the ForMat Lab have focused on optimizing mycelium composites for architectural uses. Collaborating with John Pecchia, director of Penn State’s Mushroom Research Center, the team studies how environmental factors affect the mycelium’s growth, bonding, and structural capacity within the knit-textile framework. According to Gürsoy, this research directly addresses the demand for sustainable building materials, as the construction industry’s reliance on carbon-intensive materials continues to drive global emissions. She explains that the decomposition of mycelium and organic yarns within the MycoKnit composite supports a low-embodied-energy building material that decomposes naturally, producing little to no waste.
Davis notes that the integration of knitted textiles and mycelium offers new pathways for biodegradable architecture, particularly in temporary or lightweight structures that could reduce waste through full decomposition at the end of their lifecycle. According to Ghazvinian, the project builds on a recent trend in architecture that seeks to utilize bio-based materials like algae, coral, and reclaimed items for eco-conscious construction. MycoKnit expands this approach by using knitted textiles as a medium for mycelium cultivation, creating a hybrid material that merges bio-based sustainability with the structural demands of architecture.
This collaborative research, supported by the SOM Foundation’s Research Prize, aligns with the foundation’s mission to promote responsible material innovation in design. MycoKnit’s potential impact is significant, as architects and designers could use these hybrid structures to create large-scale, biodegradable shelters with minimal environmental impact. By reducing dependence on non-biodegradable materials, the project contributes toward achieving sustainable practices within the architecture field, with a focus on lowering construction waste and mitigating the carbon footprint associated with traditional materials.
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