Admittedly, when most people think of “magic mushrooms” they don’t think of sustainable furniture. You could almost think that the headline only starts with that to grab attention with a buzzword. After all, buzzwords are called that for a reason, and none is currently used as often as Sustainability – and that’s a good thing, because sustainability is an issue that affects us all. But “green” usually stops below the green veneer, be it in fashion or furniture – but sustainability is more than just a label, sustainability stands for longevity in a short-lived world, mindfulness and awareness of one’s own actions and their consequences.
What exactly is sustainable furniture? We’ll take our Xbrick® as an example to explain the topic from our point of view. For us, furniture is impressive due to its durability and multifunctionality, because the less new things are bought, the less is produced and the fewer resources are used – logically. Our first Xbrick®, which has been in daily use for almost 4 years and is fueling new, creative working methods and approaches, proves this.
Xbrick® shows that, thanks to its stability, it can handle all everyday tasks with ease and adapts flexibly and spontaneously to the needs of its users. Thanks to the wide range of possible uses, fewer different pieces of furniture are needed. A stool on the balcony, a place to sit to put on your shoes or just put your feet up while drinking coffee. Xbrick® can do all that and much more. If your buddy does get a few scratches at some point, that’s no problem. Xbrick® is not afraid of hard work in the garden or yard and can also be easily downcycled into the workshop or garage. We also take back used Xbrick® and arrange for a second use.
What about the material in sustainable furniture? It should be suitable for recycling, ideally a renewable raw material that can be returned to a cycle at the end of its life or processed in another way. Xbrick® is made of expanded polypropylene (EPP) – which – because it is pure – can simply be returned to the raw material cycle by producing PP or EPP beads from it. That’s pretty good, but somehow we’re not really satisfied with it yet.
That’s why we’re experimenting with other materials – for example mycelium. But what is mycelium anyway? This brings us back to the heading, because mycelium is, quite simply, the root tissue of a fungus. The fine root system of the fungi, the so-called hyphae, combines with other materials to form a building material that is very light and malleable. Mycelium grows within a few days and is completely compostable. But let’s go into a little more detail and start the process from the beginning.
Any germ-free mushroom fiber can become mycelium. In principle, anyone can do this at home – just cut open a mushroom and take fibers out of the middle of the stem. This mushroom fiber is then given wood chips as a nutrient medium, for example, and can grow on it. However, you can usually buy this combination ready-made. Our mycelium has hemp fibers as a nutrient medium. This mass of mushroom fibers and nutrient medium is then filled into the desired shape. This can be protective packaging, simple room or acoustic elements, or even an Xbrick®. Then a little water is added, the whole thing is covered, and the mushroom gets started. However, our Xbrick® with its complex rib structure is a completely new challenge for the mycelium. We have experimented, tested, and planned a lot to find out how we can bring these two worlds together and “tame” nature. This starts with creating the shape into which the mycelium is to grow.
We have divided our Xbrick® into two halves, which makes it easier to control the growth process and the Xbrick® remains mostly hollow inside. At the end, the two halves can grow together to create the typical Xbrick® shape.
When the desired shape is achieved, the fungus must be deactivated. To do this, it is dried out, which is usually done in a special oven. After drying, the material is insulating and has good insulating properties. All sorts of interesting things can be done with mycelium. For example, it would be conceivable to grow a pavilion for an event, which would then be composted on site after the event and thus integrated back into the natural cycle.
Major fashion brands such as adidas and Stella McCartney have also recognized the potential of mycelium. In the fashion sector, mycelium is used as an alternative to leather. Known under names such as “Mylo” or “Unleather”, it is used in shoes and handbags. Deceptively real, vegan and easy to grow. Sounds pretty cool, right? We think so too, because we are fascinated by this unusual material. Mycelium adapts to its environment, is incredibly flexible and has thousands of different applications – just like our Xbrick®! Admittedly, research with mycelium is still in its infancy, but we could not in good conscience claim to be committed to Design Thinking and New Work if we did not keep up with such developments. Because these approaches are also about thinking “outside the box” (or in our case “outside the brick), changing perspective and developing new solutions. And since our Xbrick® is the perfect New Work furniture, these approaches are also reflected in its design and material. And because we want to adapt to new circumstances and take on new challenges, we are currently trying to let an Xbrick® grow in this way.
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