MYCOsella - Mycelium Easy Chair

biodegradable Biodesign biomanufacture chair growth material mycelium product design properties prototype

“MYCOsella - Growing the Mycelium Chair”

The “MYCOsella - Growing the Mycelium Chair” was a research driven dissertation project that took a closer look at the Mycelium as a living organism able to digest agricultural waste and bind it by acting as a natural glue. Binding the particles, mycelium creates a solid material that presents a huge potential for its various use within the architectural industry.

The dissertation looks closer at the mycelium substrate as material, exploring its properties, capabilities and possible future application into a building industry.

The project explores properties of the mycelium material, testing its capabilities and its possible future applications. The research examines the material through the form of a commonly known design object of the chair. Chair as a tangible and reliable object allowed to assess Mycelium Material’s structural strengths and the aesthetic of the mycelium. The research also aimed to develop a successful manufacturing methodology that would enhance the growth and allow it to fully unravel its characteristics.

The project included material experiments using various substrates, testing growing techniques, exploring various forms and strategies in order to then successfully integrate all the research into the chair manufacture and growth.

The mycelium material though the series of chair prototypes was tested by gradually challenging its structural limits. First, by providing additional support material as metal and wood for the Stool Prototypes to then grow a fully biodegradable final MYCOsella Easy Chair piece, using only the mycelium substrate itself.

The project resulted in the successful creation of series of three unique chairs, grown out of mycelium material: MYCOsella, MYCOsellam Brunsta and MYCOsellam Frosta, inspired by IKEA furtnitures.

Each is a fully functional piece of furniture, presenting a broad set of mycelium's qualities and potential both structurally and aesthetically.

The designed in collaboration with nature, grown furniture using agricultural waste and requiring no energy, if taken into the industrial scale, might have a great impact on challenging the way we perceive the production, hazardous manufacture and design.

This exciting concept may be a small step towards the exciting future of grown architecture, designing along with natural processes rather than against it.

MYCOsella is the Winner of the Green Product Award 2021!