Mycelium

“Mycelium binds organic matter through a network of hyphal microfilaments in a natural biological process able to be exploited to produce…composite materials.” 

Mycelium has been utilized to create everything from leather to customizable composites for packaging and interior design. As a material, it’s versatile, biodegradable, relatively inexpensive, has a low carbon footprint, and draws from agricultural by-products and wastes as substrates. Mycelium is also notable for its “low thermal conductivity, high acoustic absorption and fire safety properties” which can outperform “traditional construction materials.” While it’s most commonly been applied as an alternative for packaging and design objects such as chairs and lamps, it is also feasible that mycelium could replace “foams, timber and plastics for applications (such as insulation), door cores, paneling, flooring, cabinetry” and more. 

Despite the material potentials of mycelium, it’s been commercially available for over a decade with little development as a replacement for traditional building materials. Likely, the lack of widespread adoption by contractors, builders, and developers can be attributed to the absorbent nature of the material as well as to a lack of deep experimentation and documentation of its material properties. As a composite, mycelium board retains unique mechanical properties related to flex, tension, and compression depending on the substrate used to grow the mycelium.  These properties can be further manipulated and improved “using physical processing, such as cold or hot pressing.” Through further experimentation with substrates and physical processing, it may be possible to develop mycelium board with ideal properties for design + build.  

Grey-water Systems

As designers & builders, we can encourage clients to implement grey-water systems that conserve water in the home and take the strain off of municipal water treatment. 

Grey-water systems redistribute used water from “faucets, showers, bathtubs, washing machines,” etc. to water home gardens and landscapes. While grey water does contain a variety of home pollutants such as soaps, lints, and micro-plastics, plants can tolerate and filter grey water that would otherwise be directed towards municipal treatment. Grey water systems also force us to consider how the products we use daily pollute our landscape and watershed. A grey water system might even encourage homeowners to choose biodegradable and natural soaps and cleaners over more toxic alternatives and implement a micro-plastic filter in their washing machine. 

Particularly if a landscape is comprised of regionally native plants, the grey-water produced by the average home is likely sufficient to keep a landscape adequately watered.  “Every load of clothes you wash generates roughly 15 to 40 gallons…depending on your washer’s design and efficiency. Over the course of a year, that’s thousands of gallons of soapy water” which could be recycled to water the landscape.

Setting up a grey-water system might be simpler and cheaper than you’d expect. The primary requirement of a grey-water system is that it is dispensed by underground irrigation, which must be buried at least 2’’ underneath the ground. Your system must also include “a valve that can direct grey water into the sewer when it’s not needed in the yard.” Otherwise, grey water is generally directed from the home out into the landscape “as it’s produced or within 24 hours of its collection.” Generally, grey water cannot be stored as the water can quickly turn smelly due to pollutants. Cost estimates for the simplest of grey water systems begin around $200, not including costs of labor.