Myko.Plektonik: Scaffold for Fungal Growth
The project »Myko.Plektonik« explores the growth of fungal mycelium on the »Plektonik« structural textiles. For the project, we selected to work with hybrid »active yarns« that contain several different plant-based materials such as willow twigs and fibers from flax and hemp, sheathed with the KemafilⓇ technology. In the project we maintained a biology-driven design approach, meaning that we studied and experimented with the fungus, assigning it the role of co-designer. The material composition of the »active« yarns was derived from this process to ensure that biological growth can materialize.
The selected fungal strain, Fomes fomentarius is sourced locally from Brandenburg and expresses voluminous and aerated mycelial growth while also showcasing great properties in architecture. The micro-permeability of the mycelium biomass contributes to sound absorption, humidity regulation, and thermal insulation, resulting in an improved indoor climate. The project aims to imagine the transformation of our future living by designing in cooperation with plants and fungi and by bringing the biological and the built environment into an interdependent relationship. We investigate notions of healing, repairing, and learning from intelligent micro-organisms with their own agency. As an extension, we can imagine potential active synergies between fungi and willow which are great remediators of soil and water.
The project operates in a constant negotiation between the constraints of the microbiological lab and the textile industry and the roles of the fungus and the designer. These intra-weathering relations between inhabitants, biofilm, objects, and climate are the topic of our team’s research.
The team is grateful for the support of Prof. Vera Meyer’s team at the Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology of TU Berlin who are hosting and supporting them at their lab, but also have done extensive research on the mechanical, physical and thermal properties of Fomes fomentarius based composite materials.


