Growing Underground

The construction industry must find solutions to the pollution and waste it is responsible for. This thesis proposes a zero carbon solution to growing our construction materials from commercial waste.

This thesis investigates the ongoing crisis of Climate Change, creating a solution which addresses construction waste's impact on the environment. It does so by redefining the manufacturing process of carbon-rich materials with a carbon neutral alternative.

In 2045, a new industrial process is created using Mycelium and local organic waste to create a fully circular construction material. An abundance of coffee waste in the West End of Glasgow sits as a prime opportunity to reuse a local commercial by-product. By recovering and reusing this, it can act as a natural substrate which the Mycelium absorbs and digests as it grows. As the multi-cellular organisms develop, the Mycelium acts as a glue, binding the material into a new construction material. The proposal uses a new model for the sustainable development of construction systems by merging them within a waste cycle where waste can be consumed as a resource.

Repurposing a derelict railway network below the streets of Glasgow, a processing system across three former rail station sites creates a production line, cultivating Mycelium within an urban context. Reusing an existing infrastructure, the environmental impact and embodied energy of the initial construction and ongoing operation of the process is reduced. A zero-carbon, industrial approach which re-assesses the value of local waste as a resource, engages the community in a way that prevents further environmental destruction whilst sustaining a local economy.