"Hypha 1.0. Biomorphic Mycelium Structure". By Šarūnas Petrauskas (English)

HYPHA-1 .0 Biomorphic

Mycelium

Structures

Šarūnas Petrauskas

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HYPHA-1.0: Biomorphic Mycelium Structures The experimental study catalog of mycelium growing structures by Šarūnas Petrauskas

AUTHOR: Šarūnas Petrauskas LANGUAGE EDITOR: Dalia Traškinaitė DESIGN: UAB “AEXN”, Šarūnas Petrauskas PHOTOGRAPHY AND ILLIUSTRATIONS: Šarūnas Petrauskas TEXTS: Šarūnas Petrauskas

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CURATOR: Tomas Grunskis YEAR: 2020

Originalus logotipas tamsiame fone

Vienspalvis juodas logotipas PUBLICATION SUPPORTED BY:

PUBLISHED BY: “Nulinis laipsnis” Vienspalvis baltas logotipas

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HYPHA- 1 .0 Biomorphic

Mycelium

Structures

Šarūnas Petrauskas

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Content _02:

_00: Foreword

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Experimental Study on Growing of Mycelium

_02.01: Experimental Study

on Growing of Mycelium Structures _02.02: Archetypes

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_02.03: Conclusions of the Research

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_01.01: Nature in Architecture.

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_01.02: Back to the Roots. Fungi

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_01: Introduction

Definitions,Concepts and Development

Application of Mycelium in Architecture

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_03.01: Vertical Park in London

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_00.01: Manifesto „Alive Architecture�

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Rudiments of Former Railway Station in Alytus

Foreword In the today’s context of anthropocene, we, as society, have to change and reconsider the relationship between nature and a humanbeing, and this transformation is especially relevant in the sphere of architecture. But it is inevitable because of declining unrenewable resources, growth of human population and, most importantly, ensuring a harmonious relationship with other species. The project HYPHA-1.0: Biomorphic Mycelium Structures focuses on biomimetics (application of nature’s principles) in architecture with the main interest on the kingdom of fungi, wide-spread in nature, and its main constituent part – mycelium – the network of hypha.

_00: Hypha (gr. ὑφή, hyphē - network) is branched, tangled and intertwined filamentous structure of a fungus. Lots of thin fine hyphae make up mycelium.

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The present artistic-scientific research aims at expanding the boundaries of the existing concept of traditional architecture and its expression with the use of hybrid creation and experimenting with mycelium structures.

The exhibition and its catalogue consists of two parts. The first one is the experimental research study of mycelium growth to find out the potential of substances in formation of spatial structures. The second part of the exhibition is the design project of vertical garden in London, which was the author’s master degree work defended at the Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, in 2019 (teacher Professor Dr. Kęstutis Lupeikis).

The essence of the project is vertical and live structure of grown mycelium, which is transformable and changes with time. The project questions the current megapolis structures and their relationship with biotic environment.

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Mycelium Experiment P1.0

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Manifesto

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Alive Architecture - Applying the internal principles of nature to architecture is creating positive future.

- A key to contemporary architectural expression lies in an innovatory approach to nature and hybrid space formation in cooperation with nature.

- Ignoring the principles and processes of nature in architecture means irresponsible approach.

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- Form follows nature.

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Plants in the bitumen sheet

Nowadays, in the process of creative experiment, art, science, technology and nature act as equal counterparts, but principles dominant in nature are rarely applied in contemporary architecture.

Although people in the professional field talk a lot about representing recent timeframe in architecture, it is still being made according to the principles of the former century. It is the right time to reconsider human relationship with nature and create harmonious habitats for different species. Nevertheless, the approach of application of biomimetics (nature’s principles) is still quite rare in artistic research, and even more so in architecture. It is obvious, however, that learning from nature is a source of multifaceted sustainable knowledge that could allow creating a positive future for humanity and transition from industrial age to the age of ecology.

Therefore, the present artistic-scientific research aiming at discovery of biological analogues to be applied instead of usual materials is especially relevant and can even be treated as a source of inspiration in architecture.

The search for such new substance, shape and aesthetics in architecture has been crowned by the present study and experiments with mycelium biostructures.

Understudied in the domain of architecture mycelium substance is widely spread in nature and has an important place in ecosystem. Through experiments, attempts have been made to disclose the self-organization properties and potential of this biotic substance, to make its prototype and answer the question how mycelium spatial structures could be grown for the use in human

everyday activities. The essence of the research has been growing, monitoring and experimenting with biotic organisms - mycelium, and their use in architecture.

In this interdisciplinary research, growing of mycelium networks has been performed with monitoring and analysing the potential of such substance and its applicability in space formation. With the aim of finding out the methodology for creating the exceptional architectural aesthetics, the method of growing spatial mycelium structures has been chosen, on the basis of which the mycelium research study has been performed. The results obtained are expected to be one of the indicators of our architectural timeframe. The mycelium substance has been chosen as sustainable, renewable and biodegradable alternative to traditional building materials.

Hybrid creative process has been selected for the present research, whereas the final result is unpredictable and infinite. The process is determined not only by the author, but also inhuman intellect. Thus, imperfect aesthetics is created, as well as infinite, transformable in time architecture. The project aims to reconsider the human relationship with nature, focus on the relationship of modern person with his/ her surrounding natural environment. HYPHA-1.0: Biomorphic Mycelium Structures is a manifesto made up with an intent to draw attention to hybrid (of human and nature’s) trend of creation as a vision of future architecture.

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Introduction

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Moss on the stone surface

_01.01: Nature in Architecture. Definitions, Concepts and Development

Surrealism and abstract art and is related to liquid, organic forms in art, architecture and design. In architecture the term biomorphic is often used to define the shapes and patterns inspired by nature.

Organicism is a concept describing the advocated harmony between architecture and nature up to the point, where a shape and natural context interlink. Organic architecture, as defined by architect W.L. Wright, not necessarily reminds of naturalistic forms, but rather is integrated into a natural context through the use of materials.

The term Bionics is compiled of the words biology and technics or electronics. This scientific term was adapted by the Dayton Symposium in the USA, 1960. Originally, the science of bionics focused on technological mechanisms designed according to living creatures, but later the application of bionics expanded into many other different areas, including architecture (Agkathidis, 2017).

Biomimetics (derived from the Greek word Mimēsis – imitation, emulation) is a trend of technology studying functions and structures of biological systems and, based on their example, designing new materials and equipment. Bionics and biomimetics in architecture means not only forms related to nature, but also structural properties characteristic to nature and borrowed from it (Gruber, 2011).

Thus, it can be stated that with the use of any of the aforementioned terms the interdisciplinary approach based on evidence, concentrated on function and directed towards significant changes is applied thereto. _013

Although such scientific terms as bionics, biomorphic and others came into use only in the 20th century, nature has always been a source of inspiration for architects. Starting from Western culture basics, such as ancient Greek temples, it can be stated that nature has always been important and not only affected the aesthetics, but even dictated the proportions and structures of buildings. One of the most widely used examples is the Golden Ratio discovered by Greek mathematician Pythagoras and later described by Vitruvius’s treatise De Architectura. This form-providing algorithm dominant in spiral structures, such as a snail shell or flower blossom, is also applied for establishing the proportions in many human-made structures, such as Parthenon.

By studying the Golden Ratio, Vitruvius found out and defined the principles of ideal proportions of human body, or the so-called Vitruvian man, which, Vitruvius believed, were related to architecture. Later, in the 20th century, Le Corbusier’s research on the Golden Ratio and human body proportions inspired him to make his own measurement system Modulor, which he applied in many of his works, for example, in Ronchamp Chapel, France (Agkathidis, 2017).

In order to understand more clearly the research field of nature in architecture, it is important to know the main, well-established scientific concepts.

The Concept of biomorphism originates from Goethe, but the term itself was used for the first time by British poet Geoffrey Grigson in 1934. The term has derived from the Greek words bios – life and morphe – form. It defines the creative synthesis filling in the gap between

Examples of Micromycetes

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Examples of Macromycetes

_01.02: Back to the Roots. Fungi

Characteristics, Properties and Functions of Fungi Fungi is a group of biotic heterotrophic organisms. In the process of metabolism, they produce urea, and their glycogen is of a starch type, characteristic to animals and other biotic organisms. Earlier, fungi were classified as species of plants, but later were distinguished into a separate kingdom of fungi. Fossilised samples of Boletaceae found during archeologic excavations showed that such types of mushrooms grew extensively even some 150 million years ago. Myxotnycetes appeared in the Paleozoic era, Polyporaceae and Uredinales in the Mesozoic and Hydnaceae in the Cenozoic era.

According to the type of growth, fungi are also classified into macroscopic structures (macromycetus) and microscopic (micromycetus).

Larger fungi usually consist of mycelium, which develops in soil or other substrate, and a fruit body. Macromycetus is visible, macroscopic structure of fungi bearing a fruit body exceeding 1 mm. Alongside with micromycetus (microscopic structures of fungi), they make up the kingdom of fungi (Keizer, Gerrit J., 2003).

According to the nutrition type, fungi are classified into saprotrophic, parasitic (biotrophic) and mycorrhizae (microsymbiotrophic). It is noteworthy that the type of nutrition of most mushrooms cannot be described precisely. For example, when growing in the leafy forest the Tricholoma Terreum mushroom lives like a saprotrophic, but in the coniferous forest – like a mycorrhizae. Majority of fungi are saprotrophic, which means they feed on dead organic substances, such as leaves, thorns, trunks, dead trees, windfalls, dead grass _015

Willingness to focus on new, understudied species, the exploration and application of which could make a concept for formation of aesthetically new spaces, has led to the kingdom of fungi, wide-spread in nature. Regardless of the early noticed importance of fungi to humans and archeologic artefacts on the use of them for food and medicine at least 6,000 years ago, fungi remained understudied in comparison to explorations of animals and plants. These organisms perform many functions in nature and are irreplaceable in human environment: some fungi are used for food, others as important ingredients in production of foodstuffs and beverages (e.g., bread and beer fermentation), and their relevance in medicine is just undisputable (e.g. production of penicillin).

Whereas recently, recycling of raw materials of the plant origin and their degradation into valuable components gains a lot of attention, microscopic fungi capable of degrading cellulose and lignin (constituent part of timber) are also more intensely explored and noticed by society.

As a living species in possession of exceptional abilities to adapt to the changing parameters of environment, fungi are especially relevant in the contemporary context of anthropocene.

According to Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, when an atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima in 1945, the first living organism to reproduce was matsutake mushroom (Tsing, 2015). It is just another proof that fungi have such properties, which are still unknown to science, and they can save and restore life even after such disasters as nuclear explosion.

Spores

Fruit body

Hiphae (mycelium)

Scheme of a Fungus Structure

Fungus

Hiphae (mycelium)

Roots of a plant

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Scheme of Mycorrhizae (Association between plants and fungi)

Mycorrhizae fungi live only with one plant-owner, and after its death, the mushroom also dies.

This is an important phenomenon in theoretical and practical aspects, for example, preparing for planting new forest areas.

Form and Body Trama is the inner fleshy portion of a mushroom’s basidiocarp, or fruit body, and it can be of different consistence: firm, hard, wilt, frail, stringy, cotton, fleshy. In some fungi species, trama can change its colour due to oxidation, break or undergo other mechanical impact: it can turn red or blue (for example, in a few hours Leccinum changes from bluish purple to dark rusty colour), but trama colour of most mushrooms does not change. Some fungi species emit juice (for example, Lactarius).

Conditions and Peculiarities of Growth Mineral macroelements (such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and microelements (iron, manganese, copper, boron, cobalt) are needed for the growth of fungi. Each fungi species has its own typical habitat or biotope providing for different temperature, light, circulation of CO2 and other gases, different substrate acidity and humidity.

Mycelium feeds by the way of osmosis through its entire surface, therefore too low or too high humidity may be equally detrimental for mycelium. Warm rains activate mycelium’s growth, but strong stormy rains are not favourable for the growth of fungi.

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coverage, excrements.

Scheme of Mycorrhizae (Association between plants and fungi) Parasitic fungi cause various diseases, some of them can spoil works of art, equipment, facilities, due to their impact bridges, ships or even houses can collapse. Spores of some fungi can survive even in the temperature of -150 °C. Saprotrophic fungi play an important role in nature. By degrading various organic substances, they have a property of cleansing ecosystems. In ecological succession, as eroders and users of different organic and nonorganic substances, fungi are used as food by plants, bacteria, invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Saprotrophic mushrooms are the most common type of fungi in nature, out of which a huge part is edible, such as boletus and red pine mushroom.

Parasitic fungi not always can be seen by a bare human eye, without a microscope, they feed on juices of other live plants and animals, sometimes they even live inside other organisms.

Parasitic fungi can contaminate other organisms with various diseases, and often are responsible for ruining facilities or buildings.

Mycorrhizae (microsymbiotrophic) fungi form a symbiotic association with plants called the mycorrhiza (a symbiosis of fungus and plant).

They need plants to exist, and certain plants require the mycorrhizae fungi, and such relationship is beneficial for both kingdoms.

For example, as it is known, mushrooms obtain water and other required organic substances from trees and, on the other hand, they help trees to obtain mineral substances (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium) and water, so this association is mutually useful.

Scheme of hyphae growth from spores

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Hyphae network spread on timber

Hypha Hypha is a long, branched filamentous structure of a fungus. Lots of thin hyphae cells make up mycelium. Hypha have an average diameter of 1-20 micron and grow at their tips.

On the surface hypha is tangled into a compact mass forming a fruit body. Mycelium is filamentous system of fungal roots. It may be of different colours – some species have white, other – grey, blue, yellowish, orange, purple or yellow mycelium, but the dominant colours are white and grey.

Significance of Fungi in Ecosystem Plants and fungi are closely connected through their mutual evolutionary history.

Apart from fungi, plants probably could have never colonised the earth surface. It is believed that first rootless plants on Earth developed from freshwater algae, which solved the problem of water and mineral deficiency by forming filamentous fungi (Willis, 2018). Fungi can be useful to up to 80 % of plants, and vice versa.

Some plants can grow only in such substrate, where certain fungi are present, and, on the contrary, some fungi have adapted to certain plants (for example, Leccinum scabrum species usually grow in birch forests, or orchids can grow not a single sprout without certain fungi, even potatoes, corn and wheat ripen faster in symbiosis with fungi).

Potential of Use of Fungi Based on the report State of the World’s Fungi 2018 presented by scientists of Kew Botanical Gardens, London, it is important to specify the extraordinary features and potential of fungi.

Apart of the well-known qualities of fungi, such as nutrition, it is noteworthy that: - Fungi can decompose plastic.

- Fungi can cleanse the soil of certain pollutants.

- Fungi can have the medicinal and tonic effect.

- Fungi make a basis for modern biotechnologies.

- Fungi are used for making bioethanol from waste of the plant origin.

- 15 % of all vaccines and medicinal proteins are produced from yeast.

Therefore, it can be stated that mycelium has been used in medicine for more than a century, but its application in architecture started only recently. So, let us focus on its possible use in architecture.

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Structure of Fungus This part deals with the main constituent parts of fungi, such as spores, hypha and fruit body.

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Ingredients used in experiments: plant waste, mycelium, wheat flour, water.

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Experimental Study on Growing of Mycelium

– such as darkness and humidity – have been ensured for better development of the substance.

In such conditions, mycelium networks form a solid/ integral structure in a few days.

The mycelium growth has been controlled by changing nutrients and ambient conditions, for example, by drying or warming the mycelium.

Under such conditions, it has hibernated, which means, it can continue growing, when the conditions have changed back to the proper ones.

Mycelium dies in high temperature.

During the experiment, vitality, transformations, tectonics and deformations of initial forms of the mycelium have been observed.

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This part presents the process and results of experiments, during which spatial mycelium structures have been grown. This research has been aimed at better understanding of the substance of mycelium and disclosure of its potential, applicability in space formation and possibilities for new architectural expression.

This part also can be used as a short manual on growing mycelium structures.

Experiments have been made with growing unintermittent mycelium network making partial control of the growth process in order to ensure high quality structure of the grown product.

The study also has covered experiments for formation of growing mycelium networks by different methods and in different media. Attempts have been made to form and grow different spatial forms. Tectonics, principles and development of mycelium growth have been monitored as well. The fungi kingdom is different from that of plants, which always grow towards sunlight, therefore in growing mycelium an unpredictability factor always appears.

The use of mycelium of macroscopic fungi has been chosen for the experiments. The ready-made mycelium mixed with agricultural waste (seed scales, corn stems’ shaves) has been used for the growing process, and a mixture of wheat flour and water – as a nutrition source for mycelium.

The mycelium mixture has been placed into special growing containers, which served as vectors for the growing direction. Appropriate conditions

_02.01: Experimental Study on Growing of Mycelium Structures.

Experiment K 1.0

Time of growing: 30 days.

Measurements: +/- 8 x 8 x 30 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 1.5 l

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Notes: Mycelium has started using and colonizing its cardboard medium.

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Process and result of Experiment K1.0

Experiment V 1.0

Time of growing: 45 days.

Measurements: about 20 x 20 x 15 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 0.5 l

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Notes: Fruit bodies formed in 30 days.

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Development process of Experiment V1.0

Experiment T 1.0

Time of growing: 90 days.

Measurements: about 100 x 15 x 15 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 2 l

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Notes: Mycelium has gown on the metal grid, which functioned as a vector providing a direction for mycelium development

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Process and result of Experiment T 1.0

Experiments K 2.0

Time of growing: 90 days.

Measurements: about 30 x 30 x 20 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 1.5 l Notes: Mycelium has grown on stones thus forming a spatial shell structure. In three months, the mycelium colour has changed from white to dark brown

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K 2.0 struktĹŤros augimo procesas

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Final growing stage of the structure K2.0

Experiment P 1.0

Time of growing: 130 days.

Measurements: about 70 x 50 x 25 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 5 l

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Notes: Fruit body development has been chaotic, often – alongside the external walls of the container, as mycelium has not fitted into the initial framework of the growth medium.

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Result of Experiment P 1.0

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Process and result of Experiment P 1.0

Experiment V 2.0

Time of growing: 30 days.

Measurements: about 110 x 20 x 20 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 25 l

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Notes: Mycelium has formed into relatively huge and firm structure, which could be used as a structural element.

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Process of Experiment V 2.0

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Process of Experiment V 2.0

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Experiment K 3.0

Time of growing: 30 days.

Measurements: about 45 x 30 x 20 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 8 l

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Notes: After thermal processing, the final form does not change.

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Process of Experiment K 3.0

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Result of Experiment K 3.0 after thermal processing

Experiments AR 1.0, AR 2.0, AR 3.0

Time of growing: 30-40 days.

Measurements: about 35 x 20 x 20 cm Mass of biotic substance: about 5 l Notes: Experiment has been made on how mycelium could form and deform one of the original space formation elements – the arch.

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Growing medium for Experiments AR 1.0, 2.0, 3.0

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Results of Experiments AR 1.0, 2.0, 3.0

_02.02: Archetypes: Archetype A 1.0

In this part, biomorphic mycelium structures are presented as initial archetypes – arch, column.

Classical – natural archetype has been produced and its metamorphosis presented.

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Photomanipulation of experimental archetypes

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Archetype A 2.0

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Photomanipulation of experimental archetypes

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Archetype D 1.0

Metamorphosis of classical Doric order.

Mycelium network has formed a myco-order.

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Photomanipulation of experimental archetypes

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_02.03: Conclusions of the Research

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- Tectonics of mycelium is a fundamental expression disassociated from fashion and questioning traditional styles of architecture.

- Mycelium can be used in making separate architectural elements, as well as formation of larger spatial structures.

- Continuous growth of mycelium opens up the possibilities for creation of transformable spatial structures.

- The growing conditions of mycelium spatial structures have been our usual, everyday environment, which means that this substance can be developed not only in laboratory conditions.

- Creative hybridity and tectonics of mycelium have revealed in approximately 30 days, when the mycelium has fully grown (hypha intertwined and formed a solid substance) into the presented form, and after removing the forming containers it has further developed unpredictably.

- The colour of mycelium has changed. Usually, the colours have changed from white in the first growing days to dark brown or even black afterwards.

- Texture of the root network has been impacted by the density of root – the denser the mycelium, the more even the surface.

- The present research has revealed only a limited potential of mycelium in the formation of spatial structures and new aesthetics.

Mycelium growth control factors should be the area of interest for the future studies.

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A colony of unknown fungi, which appeared during experiments on the external surface of spatial structure growth medium

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Vertical park in London

_03.01: Application of Mycelium in Architecture: Vertical Park in London

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Scheme of formation of the building – growing process

Vertical park in London is a conceptual architectural design project summarising the earlier conducted mycelium research study. The design project questions the usual architectural expression of a skyscraper. It raises a question, whether a building can be alive – grown on purpose.

Models made of grown mycelium and polyurethane foam have been used in the creative process. By scanning the models, bio-digital expression has been obtained.

Architectural expression of the vertical park is based on growing, monitoring and application of experimental structures of mycelium.

Porous spatial structure – as a vector for the growth of mycelium – has been formed in the project, and thus a vertical park interpreting the structure of the biotic organism has been designed. The park aims at restoration of the relationship between nature and human being, improvement of residential environment and biodiversity of ecosystem in the selected densely populated central part of London. The building is a recreational educational object demonstrating a possibility of the dialogue between different species. In this conceptual design project, biomimetics has been used as a creative tool, and nature – as an element for formation of the building aesthetics.

The project has been designed also with a purpose to draw attention to a hybrid (of human and nature) creative trend as a potential vision of future architecture. On the other hand, it is a manifesto focusing on anthropocene, ecological situation and outcomes of human activity.

Situation model

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Situation plan in London

Structural scheme

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Approaches to the building from the embankment

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Interior fragment

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View of the upper floor

mycelium

“tensegrity” structure holds the grid with mycelium

grid for growing mycelium

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Structural – material composition of the building:

compositional system of carbon and glass fibre façade

Art garden Nature centre

Health centre

funkcinฤ schema

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Schemes of cross-section, layouts and faรงade:

Art garden: Community garden – exhibition space for art works

Health centre: Spaces for Nature sound, colour, smell therapies

Nature centre: Exhibition halls, Educational conference halls

Ancillary premises Community centre Multifunctional pavilion

Embankment

es

Functional scheme

m

ha rT e Riv

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Sketches

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Bibliography

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Agkathidis, A. (2017). Biomorphic Structures.

London: Laurence King Publishing.

Finsterwalder, R. (2015). Form Follows Nature.

Basel: Birkhäuser.

G. Pohl and W. Nachtigall. (2015). Biomimetics for Architecture & Design. London: Springer.

Gruber, P. (2011). Bomimetics in Architecture - Architecture of Life and Buildings. Vienna: Springer-Verlag/Wien.

Keizer, Gerrit J., (2003). Mushroom Encyclopedia.

Vilnius: Alma littera.

Pawlyn, M. (2016). Biomimicry in Architecture, 2ed edition. London: RIBA Publishing.

Stamets, P. (2005). Mycelium Running: How fungi Can Help Save the World. New York: Ten Speed Press.

Ternaux, E. (2012). Industry of Nature Another approach to ecology. Amsterdam: Frame Publishers.

Tsing, A. L. (2015). The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Vitruvius. (1914). The Ten Books on Architecture.

Cambridge: HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS. Willis, K. J. (2018). State of the World’s Fungi 2018. Report. London.