Mycelium-Based Bio-Composites For Architecture:Assessing the Effects of Cultivation Factors on Compressive Strength

Mycelium-based bio-composites can propose a renewable and biodegradable alternative for architectural construction materials. These biomaterials result from growth of mycelium, fibrous root systems of fungi, on organic substrates in controlled environmental conditions. This paper presents a material study that explores how substrate type and added supplements used for cultivating mycelium affect the compressive strength of mycelium-based composites for use as masonry units in architectural construction. For this purpose, samples grown using Pleurotus Ostreatus (Gray Oyster mushroom strain) on three different substrates (sawdust, straw and a mixture of sawdust and straw) with and without supplementation are tested for compressive strength.