Myco-Temple is not a religious building. It is intended to host performances, concerts and dinners. The dome is five metres wide and grown from mycelium, the root system of mushrooms. It is grown on sawdust and other wood waste.
The mycelium building blocks of the dome have been left as they grew. In some places they are velvety, in others mushrooms have sprouted.
Return to the earth
The dome is completely biobased and biodegradable, so it is meant to eventually return to the earth, serving as a fertiliser for the soil. Its disappearance is also an artistic gesture: when the mycelium breaks down, a hidden wooden structure carved by hand is gradually revealed.
A first prototype has been developped with the support of Château de Servières, Arts Ephémères, and la Mairie de Plan-de-Cuques and is visible at the artist’ studio.
Growing Pavilion
It is not the first time mycelium has been used as a biobased building material. Four years ago, Dutch company New Heroes introduced this material to the public in their so-called ‘Growing Pavilion’ (image) during the Dutch Design Week 2019. Agro&Chemistry published an article about it.
Image: Gian-Battista Lombardo.
