Mycelium Lego Blocks

As part of the 2024 Permaculture Technology Jamboree, we conducted expirements in growing giant, interlocking lego-shaped mycelium blocks, for structural and insulative applications.  Materials requirements dictated that we purse natural form boxes and natural/reused/reusable liner possibilities.  Lots of long-shots and wildcards in this one, resulting in lots of success in wisdom gained and lessons learned, while ultimately arriving at 83.33% objective failure.

We can expand on this as needed, but for now I just want to jot down some notes and post some pictures while it's fresh.

Paul has been talking for a couple years now about making giant mycelium legos.  So this year we gave it a go.

We custom-fabricated 12 cedar boxes with hinged sides and removable tops & bottoms to expirement with different lining materials.  Those materials were:

- beeswax, rubbed on
- beeswax, brushed on
- clay
- fresh linseed oil
- cured linseed oil
- dust (top/bottom) & fabric (sides)
- parchment paper
- no liner (wood only)
- first-use plastic, 6-mil
- reused plastic, grocery sacks
- reused plastic, mushroom grow bags
- reused plastic, Dave's Killer Bread bags

Full disclosure, I was skeptical about all of these except the plastics, both due to adherance/release issues and biocontamination.  Furthermore, I was skeptical about any advantages about using a lego shape in general, because I foresaw trouble in getting the mycoblocks cleanly out of the nubby bits, and because I see the advantages of mycelial properties of blocks growing together as negating many structural advantages of interlocking.  Nevertheless, we persisted, knowing that even if we experience large-scale failure as I expected, that we would:
a. learn some things, and
b. maybe get a few solid lego-ish blocks out of the deal, for cool-factor if nothing else.

In the end, several boxes failed due to structureal isssues like adhering to the box/liner, several boxes failed due to biological issues like contamination or anti-fungal liner properties, and several boxes just didn't come together very well for a variety of reasons.  We had 5 boxes that were inadequately coalesced, or contaminated, but nonetheless in largely lego-shapes.  Those we stacked as a wall for further experimentation.  And 2 boxes came out in quite decent shape, showing promise of retaining full lego-shape with no known contamination.  These 2 best samples, we observe and record as they dry out independtly to see if they will "lock" together in any way, shape or form.

Cool, that's the nutshell.  Here's some pictures.

Special thanks to PTJ Attendees Mike, Krista, Angela, and Jason, as well as boots Stephen, Brian, Rio, Carissa, & Ben for making it happen.

And an extra-special thanks to Sam & Becca at Blood Veil Fungi for providing innoculated substrate from their wonderful mushroom farm in Ronan, MT.  You guys rock.  

I'm with Paul - this is such a cool experiment! I suspect that getting the tolerances right will take a little experience too - those blocks will be different sizes according to the way the mycelium eats and grows in the substrate so the nobbles and dents sizes may not be intuitive. Imagine just locking these together to get an inner wall - would a little clay plaster finish it off then OK?

Nancy Reading wrote:would a little clay plaster finish it off then OK?

I imagine finishing it kind of like straw bale, with a scratch cob coat and finish coat.  Or, if installed still active, you could do tongue-and-groove panels or similar, and the blocks will adhere to the wood.

Just spitballing here...what if you put the blocks together while the mycelium is still actively growing? Let the whole thing knit together....

This would be mostly for insulative value right?
Not a supporting wall?

Phil Stevens wrote:Just spitballing here...what if you put the blocks together while the mycelium is still actively growing? Let the whole thing knit together....

Yeah, that's the idea!  They essentially bind together, replacing the need for adhesives, fasteners, or mortar.  Though in some applications I imagine some folks may want to install them already desiccated - for instance, for fast install.  

craig howard wrote: This would be mostly for insulative value right?
Not a supporting wall?

Structural+insulation.  The structural piece would be akin to either Structural Insulated Panels (wood clad) or straw bale construction (cob clad) to form a strong, load-bearing wall that can operate independently of any other roof support.

This just in from Carissa, Wheaton Labs Boot Extraordinaire:

Beau M. Davidson wrote:As part of the 2024 Permaculture Technology Jamboree, we conducted expirements in growing giant, interlocking lego-shaped mycelium blocks, for structural and insulative applications.  Materials requirements dictated that we purse natural form boxes and natural/reused/reusable liner possibilities.  Lots of long-shots and wildcards in this one, resulting in lots of success in wisdom gained and lessons learned, while ultimately arriving at 83.33% objective failure.

We can expand on this as needed, but for now I just want to jot down some notes and post some pictures while it's fresh.

Paul has been talking for a couple years now about making giant mycelium legos.  So this year we gave it a go.

We custom-fabricated 12 cedar boxes with hinged sides and removable tops & bottoms to expirement with different lining materials.  Those materials were:

- beeswax, rubbed on
- beeswax, brushed on
- clay
- fresh linseed oil
- cured linseed oil
- dust (top/bottom) & fabric (sides)
- parchment paper
- no liner (wood only)
- first-use plastic, 6-mil
- reused plastic, grocery sacks
- reused plastic, mushroom grow bags
- reused plastic, Dave's Killer Bread bags

Full disclosure, I was skeptical about all of these except the plastics, both due to adherance/release issues and biocontamination.  Furthermore, I was skeptical about any advantages about using a lego shape in general, because I foresaw trouble in getting the mycoblocks cleanly out of the nubby bits, and because I see the advantages of mycelial properties of blocks growing together as negating many structural advantages of interlocking.  Nevertheless, we persisted, knowing that even if we experience large-scale failure as I expected, that we would:
a. learn some things, and
b. maybe get a few solid lego-ish blocks out of the deal, for cool-factor if nothing else.

In the end, several boxes failed due to structureal isssues like adhering to the box/liner, several boxes failed due to biological issues like contamination or anti-fungal liner properties, and several boxes just didn't come together very well for a variety of reasons.  We had 5 boxes that were inadequately coalesced, or contaminated, but nonetheless in largely lego-shapes.  Those we stacked as a wall for further experimentation.  And 2 boxes came out in quite decent shape, showing promise of retaining full lego-shape with no known contamination.  These 2 best samples, we observe and record as they dry out independtly to see if they will "lock" together in any way, shape or form.

Cool, that's the nutshell.  Here's some pictures.

Special thanks to PTJ Attendees Mike, Krista, Angela, and Jason, as well as boots Stephen, Brian, Rio, Carissa, & Ben for making it happen.

And an extra-special thanks to Sam & Becca at Blood Veil Fungi for providing innoculated substrate from their wonderful mushroom farm in Ronan, MT.  You guys rock.  

Very cool!  So from your notes, I'm guessing E, F, and L were the most successful?  They were all plastic-lined in one way or another, right?

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Very cool!  So from your notes, I'm guessing E, F, and L were the most successful?  They were all plastic-lined in one way or another, right?

That is correct.

Next time I want to try custom reusable silicone molds.

Hey! been a while and i somehow missed out on these other myco projects! I was in the first original webinar.

I would think hinged forms would be best as you can pull them away to get a full removal. so the base and for walls hinges at the base and bound together. could probably even be 3d printed if the plastic is really the way to go!

or another thought... how well would Mycelium do in an CEB press?

Hi Beau,
You gave me a bag of mycelium,  I brought it home and put it in cabinet, in a cooler bag and kinda forgot about it. Now it looks like this! Ha boy? What do I do with this? Lol!
Seriously, can I eat the mushrooms?
Now I'm sad I didn't pay attention in class.
Eve