Eco-resilient Tectonics: Living building materials in multi-species earthen construction

Additive manufacturing (AM) is expanding widely in the construction sector. In particular, the aim for sustainable construction has led to a shift from cementitious materials to earthen materials with additive manufacturing. Adapting traditional earth construction with digital fabrication tools opens an opportunity to experiment with new methods and materials. Experimentation should focus on the development of a new recipe for the earth mixture to provide printability and maintain the mechanical properties of the mixture. The recipe for the earth mixture utilizes a multi-species approach by considering ecology in such a way that provides conditions for the growth of organisms, which eventually integrate living materials into the building system. The purpose of this research is to examine the feasibility of developing living building material (LBMs) with the use of a 3D printing process with an earth mixture. Pleurotus Ostreatus (Blue Oyster mushroom) was used as a mycelium composite and Raphanus sativus (Radish) as greenery; both were embedded into a 3D printed wall system. The final wall prototype successfully exhibited the growth of mycelium and greenery. It also demonstrated the resilience of the mycelium composite as an insulation material in adverse conditions, showcasing self-healing and self-regenerative capacities.