EU-funded researchers are cultivating fungi on agricultural waste to create smarter and greener construction materials able to adapt and rea
Wösten is part of a team of researchers from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK who are exploring a radical idea: what if the materials we build with could grow, repair themselves, and even sense their environment?
This EU-funded research initiative, called Fungateria, is developing engineered living materials (ELMs) by fusing fungal mycelia with bacteria — creating adaptable, self-healing materials that do what conventional products cannot.
Unlike traditional materials like concrete or plastic, ELMs can grow, repair themselves, sense changes in their environment, and sometimes even adapt over time.
The researchers aim to design these materials so that they combine the strength of natural growth with the functionality of engineering. For example, walls that fix their own cracks, building blocks that absorb CO2, or surfaces that can clean the air.
The goal is to create sustainable, low-waste materials that work with nature instead of against it, opening the door to smarter, greener architecture and products.
“Already we can make leather-like materials or insulation panels from these extended fungal networks,” said Wösten. “Now we want to go to the next stage and grow buildings, but in a controlled way.”
