bioMATTERS, a New York City and London based biodesign studio, have developed MYCO-ALGA, a non-repetitive interior tiling system made with living materials and bio-fabrication workflows. The bio-digitally crafted tiles offer a sustainable alternative to interior panels, as they are made from living organisms, upcycled natural and organic waste, and are 100% biodegradable. The panels are designed with computational algorithms, 3D printed, grown, and enhanced with bio-pigments to add natural colour. The ambition includes evolving bio-aesthetics and advancing ecological practices, to promote a cultural shift towards biomaterials, in an age of climate crisis.

The tiles are fabricated in a series of stages beginning with upcycling domestic and industrial waste materials, which are transformed into a paste that serves as a substrate for the growth of mycelium, a fungal network of hyphae filaments. The paste, inoculated with mycelium, is 3D printed to create bespoke shapes and forms. Following the printing process, the mycelium grows, binding the paste together like a natural glue, and covering the entire outer surface of the tile. The tiles are then desiccated to terminate growth and dry each piece into a solidified, rigid, lightweight, panel. Bio-pigments, extracted from the harvested biomass of algae, are made into gels that are 3D printed onto each piece, adding colour and enriching aesthetics.

The finished tiles enhance interior spaces, displaying the natural off-white colour of mycelium and light green colour of algae, and offer a soft, velvet-like texture and tactile quality. Each tile is unique, based on computationally generated branching morphologies, inspired by mycelial growth, resulting in non-repetitive shapes and a continuous variation of patterns when assembled across a larger surface.

Website: https://www.biomatters.org/