You GREW a House?! (Yes... and so can you!)

mushroomtinyhouse:

We didn’t just build a tiny house, we grew it. That’s right, the Mushroom® Insulation in the walls were literally alive and grew in place. This is a radical test of Ecovative’s Mushroom® Insulation.

Ecovative uses mycelium (mushroom “roots”) to bond together agricultural byproducts like corn stalks into a material that can replace plastic foam. We’ve been selling it for a few years as protective packaging, helping big companies replace thousands of Styrofoam (EPS), and other plastic foam packaging parts. We’re now working to develop new products for building materials. This project is an exciting, radical and innovative approach to try a bunch of ideas, learn a lot, and grow something really awesome.

Here’s how it works. Mushroom Insulation grows into wood forms over the course of a few days, forming an airtight seal. It dries over the next month (kind of like how concrete cures) and you are left with an airtight wall that is extremely strong. Best yet, it saves on material costs, as you don’t need any studs in the wall, and it gives you great thermal performance since it’s one continuous insulated wall assembly. The finished Mushroom® Insulation is also fire resistant and very environmentally friendly.

We’re wondering what you would grow with Mushroom Materials. Send us your answer!

The Tiny House finished growing in June. It’s been a big success, but the project far from over. We’re now opening this technology up to you! You can now pre-order Mushroom® Insulation to try growing your own house or project.

“In this episode, Derek “Deek” Diedricksen, host of HGTV’s “Extreme Small Spaces”, and “Tiny Yellow House” on youtube, gives us a quick tour of the tiny house on wheels that Sam Harrington brought out to The Yestermorrow Tiny House Fair in Waitsfield, VT. This particular house is insulated with Mushrooms, utilizing Mycelium as the binding agent to wood chips/matter.”

Great video… thanks Deek!

Time Lapse! Watch two months of construction happen in seconds.

It's All Growing Now

On Friday we packed the last bit of Mushroom Insulation into the peak of the roof. Now the entire roof and walls are alive and growing! The mycelium is colonizing the chopped up plant stalks, forming a continuous insulation and air barrier to keep tiny house dwellers comfortable and cozy.

Birds eye view.

All closed up! Also, check out the door and window that we’ve started to frame. Stay tuned to see us build the front and back wall, and weatherproof the whole structure.

Mushroom Ceiling Tiles Too

The wonders of Mushroom Insulation extend beyond just hot and cold; this material is also excellent for acoustic insulation. These acoustic ceiling tiles will help keep sound waves from bouncing around and creating echoes in this small space.

These custom 18x18” tiles fit perfectly in the welded steel grid that holds up the loft. Ultimately, these tiles could be produced in standard sizes as a sustainable drop in replacement for conventional ceiling tiles.