critical change explores using mushroom mycelium as a homegrown insulation material

the porto based research lab, ‘critical change’, is looking at alternative materials and technologies in an effort to find ecologically responsible and cost competitive building solutions. the project has been conceived in response to the impoverished populations of portugal, where many are still suffering from energy poverty. among the technologies being explored, the lab investigates mycelium-based insulation panels and ‘green’ roofing.

a mycelium insulation panel

al images and video courtesy of critical concrete

mycelium, the vegetative tissue of mushrooms, offers vast properties that have been explored in a wide range of fields. within the world of construction, the project by critical change studies mycelium as a locally sourced insulation material. the research lab began to experiment the growth of this material using different substrates: cardboard, straw, cotton, sawdust and cork. the observations made on the brick experiments of the mycelium growth set cardboard as a cost and time competitive partner to investigate further the production of insulation panels.

the green roof project investigates construction techniques through the refurbishment of a workshop space. this ancestral vegetal cover technique has gained consideration and been upgraded in the past decades to tackle pollution and high temperatures in urban spaces. critical change explores here a construction process and natural way of building within this research project. in the process, a number of challenges and techniques have been explored: tires foundations, stone walls refurbishment and construction, and even building a wooden structure.

the ‘green roof’ stone wall refurbishment

‘critical change’ is a research-lab formed in 2017 from the collaboration between critical concrete and just a change – both porto based non-for-profit organizations working actively in the field of social architecture. the laboratory has developed an open source collaborative research practice and shares it’s findings on a blog and through a pedagogical format: a yearly practical and theoretical sustainable & social architecture summer school.

the research lab explores natural methods of building

the project opens its doors to a social architecture summer school

the project aims to find ecologically responsible and cost competitive building solutions

the lab investigates mycelium-based insulation panels and ‘green roofing’

project info:

project name: ‘critical change’

collaborators: critical concrete, just a change

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom