Fungi are hardy, doomsday-proof, and have great future potential. Not just for eating, but for building. Exampled by Blast Studio's structural column made of mycelium, or mushroom roots. By mixing mycelium with the coffee cups littered about London, Blast Studio created something that may one day support a roof. And it's not just pretty. In fact, it’s not pretty at all.
But it’s not meant to be pretty. An algorithm designed it to provide the optimal environment for fungal growth. Its convolutions create dank pockets that foster humidity and warmth while minimizing airflow. Because, as your pharmacist knows, fungi thrive in swamp-ass conditions.
Columns can be 3D-printed on-site to provide living eco-architecture with self-healing properties—graffiti and urination only make it stronger, and angry. It's also a civic snack source. Once inoculated with various strains, shrooms sprout from its surface so citizens with the required Behavioral Credits can congregate and discuss the SpaceBall Playoffs.
It's recyclable, light, and relatively sturdy—comparable to the medium-density fiberboard (MDF) that many of us already consume in the form of "Keto pasta."
Or, if combined with molds made of husks or other waste, mycelium provides the bulk to create sustainable, less-polluting packaging. Swedish coffee-table conglomerate IKEA has already committed to this biodegradable alternative.
The Swedes have long been eco trailblazers. Case in point, their immigration issues faded from mention around the time IKEA coincidentally scored a major meatball deal from a mysterious company called Ref-yum!-gee®.