Tech Report Draft 1

Utilization of Living Materials as Concrete Alternatives in Singapore to Combat Rising Carbon Emissions

Introduction:

In alignment with Singapore's Green Building Masterplan, the team aims to place greater emphasis on reducing concrete use in the design and construction of buildings. On top of this, BCA's Green Mark scheme recognises projects that go beyond the regulatory requirements, for example, by using alternatives to concrete such as Mass Engineered Timber. The team aims to implement/introduce mycelium bricks into Singapore’s market, as it has never been used in any infrastructure.

Background:

Currently, Singapore consumed an average of 11.5 million m3 of concrete per year over the last five years (MND, 2021) and concrete consumption is projected to remain within the range of 10.5 million to 12.2 million m3 per year until 2025.

The aim of this proposal is to introduce new cement materials such as mycelium bricks. A mycelium brick is an organic brick that is formed from organic waste and the mycelium of the fungus. Mycelium is the thin root-like fibres from fungi that run underneath the ground, when dried it can be used as a super-strong, water, mold and fire-resistant building material that can be grown into specific forms, thus reducing the processing requirements. The idea that motivates this replacement is to reduce cement production that has been used in the current construction of infrastructure over decades. 

Literature Review:

This 100 percent organic material has been gradually developed across multiple disciplines, with the architectural and construction industry recently taking interest in its possible implications. Mycelium has already been used in a variety of forms on a smaller scale, such as packaging, with companies such as IKEA and Dell using it as an alternative to polystyrene which takes decades to naturally break down and poses great difficulty when trying to recycle it. Mycelium packaging is created by using organic waste which is then cleaned and combined with mycelium which then will grow around the waste, sending out roots and fibres which digest the materials. It is then broken up and put into moulds, a solid form is then grown which then can be used in a variety of ways. Much like wooden furniture indoors it will be strong and sturdy whilst inside but will break down after being overly exposed outside.

However, fully transitioning to a full-scaled building built of 100% mycelium bricks would create risks for engineers. The notion of this report is to source out a potential alternative to replace cement as a construction material that can reduce carbon emissions produced from cement production. By using mycelium there is a huge reduction in the reliance on fossil fuels, the embodied energy required for fabrication, and a massive reduction in the building waste which is left at the end of the product’s life as the mycelium product is 100 percent biodegradable and can be used as soil. Through bio fabrication, a carbon-neutral building process can be achieved by eliminating such products as artificial insulation used in walls, MDF, and other non-load-bearing structures. Hence, we are proposing to select small-scale structures located in parks around Singapore as testing grounds for this idea. For example, we are targeting park shelters to test out the full reliability of this renewable material. Small-scale structures can be potential testing grounds that can allow easier risk assessment and analysis.

Although in the construction industry the use of mycelium is still experimental, its development indicates a desire within the industry to create and foster a more “cradle to cradle” attitude towards building with people aiming to reduce the embodied energy of their products whilst also aiming for as little net waste as possible at the end of its life.