A housing project in Namibia is using fungi and invasive plants to create a brick that is said to be cleaner and could help alleviate the country’s housing crisis.
It is the result of a partnership between South Africa’s Standard Bank Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Bits and Atoms and other organizations, according to an MIT post.
The employees founded and support MycoHAB with the goal of tackling environmental and humanitarian problems, partly with fungi, according to the organization and reporting by Interesting Engineering.
The bricks are made from an invasive bush that is plaguing the land. The remains are used to create a substrate on which oyster mushrooms are grown and sold as food. The byproduct is pressed into a building material called mycoblocks. Each block makes about 10 kilograms of the environmentally damaging bush usable, according to a report in the Guardian.
“This project is the first of its kind and is still in the experimental phase, but is very promising,” said Magreth Mengo, head of brand and marketing at Namibia’s Standard Bank, in the Guardian article.
This is not the first attempt to use mushrooms for good purposes. In the UK, for example, work is underway on a concrete alternative called Mycocrete.
The work in Namibia is timely, as in addition to eradicating the invasive plant, it could also solve a dire housing situation. The Guardian reports that the country needs at least half a million new homes to address the housing crisis. About one in five of the country’s 2.7 million people live in “makeshift” housing, according to the story.
Earlier this year, MycoHAB unveiled a one-bedroom “habitable” house to the public. According to the MIT press release, it is a “historic milestone for environmental protection, architecture and biofabrication.”
Despite the list of ingredients, the company does not reveal its origin, at least not when it comes to the nose test.
“Sometimes you get a slight woody taste, but otherwise it’s completely odorless,” said Kristine Haukongo, a senior breeder at MycoHAB, in the Interesting Engineering news report.
In a black-and-white photo on MycoHAB’s website, a block looks like a square piece of concrete. The material is touted as “green… structurally compelling and often superior, and can be used as raw material at the end of its life.”
The Guardian adds that the panels are heavier than ordinary bricks but can be assembled quickly, resulting in lower construction costs.
The environmental benefits will extend beyond Namibia – where bush forest is typically burned – if the technology proves to be a scalable alternative to concrete.
It is widely reported that concrete production is responsible for up to 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The climate-warming gases even affect our oceans, with NASA citing rising sea levels and an increased risk of severe weather as possible consequences.
If mass production of these houses begins in Namibia, they could become reliable homes for a population that desperately needs them.
“We wanted a new, better way to address the housing crisis and sustainably limit the negative impact of bush encroachment on our environment,” Mengo told the Guardian.
If you’re looking for an easy way to make a difference at home but don’t have a lab where you can grow mushrooms from building blocks, you can simply collect rainwater. A rain barrel can save you money on your electric bill by watering your garden and plants with free raindrops. The trick also reduces waste and saves precious H2O.
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