Challenges and Advantages of Building with Mycelium-Based Composites: A Review of Growth Factors that Affect the Material Properties

Scholars and industries are studying the use of fungi-based materials as sustainable alternatives for materials in the several industries. Fungi are the decomposers of nature. They secrete enzymes through their vegetative root that is called mycelium and break down biopolymers of organic matter to simpler structures of carbon-based nutrients. Mycelium-based composites (MBC) are the most widely used form of fungi-based materials. These are foam-like, light-weight, and biodegradable composite materials. Since MBC do not depend on fossil fuels during production, are renewable, and create no waste throughout their life cycle, their use in architectural applications are being increasingly explored. In this chapter, we review the ongoing efforts to explore and enhance material properties of MBC to render them more suitable for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. In the AEC industry, MBC are currently used as insulation panels, loadbearing masonry components, and cores for sandwich structures. In this chapter, we review the methods used to enhance the material properties of MBC. Since material properties of MBC depend on various cultivation and post-processing factors, the effect of the growth factors on the final material outcome are reviewed from scholarly papers written and published from 2012 to 2021 related to MBCs and their use in design, architecture, and construction industry.