building guide | Myc Housing

Build your home the way you want

since the industrial revolution, the quality of life for the urban poor has been degrading. The solution is relocation..... but is it? What we need for a fulfilled life and lifestyle is more than just shelter. We need the assurity of durable and ...

This is a system that demands active participation and gives you the opportunity to tackle these fundamental problems. It is a constant work in progress. Any feedback or criticism is most welcome. Don't hesitate to reach out to us.

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A decentralised system of building houses. Why?

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Samudāya - Map to a decentralised Habitat

Based on the research project done in London, U.K., and the prototype build in Ahmedabad, India, this is a step by step overview of what goes into building a mycelium house.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Building Growing with Mycelium

manufacturing of lattice and sourcing of raw materials

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

Building with Mycelium Precedents :

Youtube videos :

How to make a myco-brick(c:Mycoworks)

The Growing Pavilion Documentary

Tree-shaped structure (c:Dezeen)

This mushroom brick could replace concrete (c:Verge Science)

Built With the Cleanest Technology on Earth: Nature (c:Mycoworks)

How?

Materials & Components

1 the amalgamation of vernacular and modern intelligence like parametric design tools

Mycelium

Parametric Cover

Familiar Building System

1 the amalgamation of vernacular and modern intelligence like parametric design tools

House for a family of 3 to 4

Area :

Bedroom :

W.C.:

Kitchen :

Bedroom

Kitchen

W.C.

Porch

Clip Plate

House for a family of 3 to 4

Area :

Bedroom :

W.C.:

Kitchen :

Planning Flow

Supply Chain

The supply change is designed to evolve into being independent of any tier 2 or tier 3 companies. With constant public interventions, it would get more localised and dynamic as per individual requirements.

2 Strategy for supply chain and manufacture of the product

Supply chain integration is one of the hardly discussed matters in the construction industry due to its one-off project focus nature (Doran & Giannakis 2011). However, the construction industry needs to integrate its processes and products to ensure the value of the product (Construction 2011).

prefabrication enables low-cost houses by improving efficiency. Off-site manufacturing under a controlled and highly automated environment facilitates high-quality houses.

Most of the identified stages are primarily sequential except the off-site manufacturing and site preparation and foundation. However, there can be slight changes to the developed process based on the type of prefabrication used to construct the house. The supply chain can divide into two main parts, the pre-assembly and the construction site, which has different demands on the supply chain. The pre-assembly involves purchasing, materials handling, supplier involvement, transportation and supply patterns etc. Activities on the construction site have the structure of the final assembly, and the deliveries of elements and components must be thoroughly planned where Just In Time is implemented in close relationship with component and element suppliers.

Distribution Strategy

Local manufacturing of lattice and sourcing of raw materials

Lattice mould -

Mycelium & Substrate -

key areas to make the proposition into a reality -

experiments and improvements needed

(technical drawing included)

How to choose the right spawn?

The mushroom species should be selected taking into consideration

the growth time (should not exceed 5 weeks before fruiting), weather conditions for optimum growth (ideally 20 to 35 degrees as it is easily manageable), the capability of binding with varied substrates, the binding strength, and the capability to withstand impurities amongst others.

Make sure to run a scaled-down experiment to test the above mentioned properties before jumping on final composites.

Mushroom spawn sources in the U.K.

(tried & tested)

https://mushroombox.co.uk/

https://www.meritmushrooms.co.uk/

Mushroom spawn sources in India

(tried & tested)

https://www.indiamart.com/omcar-india-gwalior/aboutus.html

to start with -

DOWNLOAD SHEET

How to choose the right additives?

The additives are natural ingredients to support the growth of mycelium, especially when the build/ experiment is executed at home.

Most are added after the first week when the mycelium hyphae have sprung out of the spawn and before they start growing exponentially and covering the mould. .....

The .... like calcium sulphate, ...

are crucial additives once the mycelium has bonded and become a block..

to start with -

DOWNLOAD SHEET

How to choose the right substrate?

Substrate selection is a key step to a successful composite. We need to consider these significant aspects -

the local availability (as building mycelium house is substrate intensive, you will need it in 100s of kg), the binding strength of the selected substrates with mycelium, and the inherent lignin and cellulose content as it contributes to the strength and longevity of the mycelium composites.

Some of the potential substrates are mentioned in the attached PDF.

Mushroom spawn sources in the U.K.

(tried & tested)

https://mushroombox.co.uk/

https://www.meritmushrooms.co.uk/

Mushroom spawn sources in India

(tried & tested)

Any local farm, indiamart website

could be easily sourced at a lot more places. Please ensure it is not mixed with any substance that would compete with mycelium and stop the growth.

to start with -

DOWNLOAD SHEET

How to design the system?

Lastly a key area to investigate is how the structure will behave in the long term. The weathering of mycelium can be avoided by applying an exterior coat that acts as a weather barrier. In 18 Chan, X.Y., Saeidi, N., Javadian, A., Hebel, D.E. and Gupta, M. (2021). Mechanical properties of dense mycelium-bound composites under accelerated tropical weathering conditions. Scientific Reports, 11(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01598-4., the outline how the RT (tensitle strength ratio) had a significant positive impact after prolonger weathering, but no impact on flexural and compressive strength.

In the system proposed by this project, jute will all for a smoother surface, the coating would be able to create a more comprehensive barrier to prevent moisture from entering the material. The aim is to have fewer areas of stress concentration leading to crack propagation and material failure would be present, thereby also improving the material strength. To validate in real time, a structure was built in Ahmedabad with the help of the stakeholders for whom the system would be built, to test the performance over a span of 6 months.

to start with -

DOWNLOAD PDF

How the lattices (moulds) work?

The final model in testing is made out of bipartite lattice. The idea was to develop a geometry that is easy to follow and replicate. The scalability of the lattice is one of the biggest challenges as the auxetics have to be as close to precise as possible or else they lose their unique properties. To produce these using common manufacturing methods and with cheap raw material, I propose the use of jute overlaid with polypropylene. The design can be broken down into two key areas as highlighted with the 3D printed joinery in the image.

The linear members can be made out of composites of waste hardwood with a thickness < 3 mm, and the joints can be simplified more and made out of polypropylene.

The theory works with large classes of auxetics. Creating new and diverse geometries can change the composite properties which can be positioned in the structure as per how the load traverses at respective places.

to start with -

DOWNLOAD PDF

How does the composite work?

The wondrous part is once a material like polypropylene or organic material like veneer or ply, is cut into auxetic geometry, how it can change the material behaviour. When paired with mycelium, it can negate the forces to increase the load capacity of the composite given the opposite forces are equal or the auxetic force is marginally stronger. Turning this hypothesis into pragmatic application, the substrate for mycelium has to be less than 5 mm in length to generate a high-density block even with manual compression. The auxetic lattice that engulfs the mycelium mixture has to produce a bind with mycelia that is strong enough to not weather in extended sun-light exposure.

The lignin and cellulose content of any material used for the auxetic has to be higher than 30% - 35%, as a weaker bond would result in a failed compression. For the project, jute and veneer were the starting points for the experiments to prove the hypothesis. Veneer isn’t the most cost effective choice so a proposed alternative would be PVA polymer lined over jute. Jute is nutrient rich substrate and the mesh would enable regulated oxygen flow, thus making the mould itself a substrate.

to start with -

DOWNLOAD PDF

How do Auxetic structures work?

The auxetics are structures and geometries with negative Poisson’s ratio, When stretched, they become thicker perpendicular to the applied force. This occurs due to their particular internal structure and the way this deforms when the sample is uniaxially loaded.

As a consequence, they could provide some enhanced mechanical properties, such as higher fracture toughness, indentation resistance, shear modulus and vibration absorption, as well as lower fatigue crack propagation

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

downloadable logbook

websites for ordering spawn

mushroom farms local

to start with -

DOWNLOAD STEP FILE

AUXETIC GEOMETRIES

Download kits & templates

Experimentation Logbook

Download

BOM for x x x house

Downloadable files -

websites for mycelium spawn, straw, and pioneering companies in the country

Spawn and substrate processing logbook

Manufacturing - Auxetic geometry details, process with jute...

reference papers, websites, and more