Nature is the best architect of all. Few companies now are employing one of its finest technologies – mycelium – in order to create more sustainable material for architecture, packaging and more. Since the advent of mycelium based composites in 2006, the goal, for many, has been to discover a way to grow a structural, load-bearing formulation. Described with “foam-like” properties, mycelium composites have found their way into several amazing, non-structural applications.
Join SDMYCO and our very special guest speaker Joshua English of Okomwrks on April 5, 7pm as we explore the world of mycelium as building material. Okomwrks envision a future where regenerative design is standard practice. Building partnerships with our living planet in order to discover new ways to build and live symbiotically. He will discuss the history and possibilities of using mycelium as a medium for structural based material.
Learn more about OkomWrks
ABOUT JOSHUA ENGLISH:
Local San Diego resident, Joshua, a graduate of the Interior Architecture and Design program at Academy of Art in SF, has been an artist and designer for over 27 years. He has a multi-faceted skillset which includes such varying fields as data visualization and large system design, as well as, architectural and industrial design.
He is part of the vanguard of designers, architects, and engineers forging a new path to help steer humanity away from the cliff before our green, verdant earth is irredeemably lost for future generations. His current work is primarily focused on harnessing the self-replicating wonders of mycelium in order to create 1 : 1 substitutes for materials that have historically led to deforestation. His innovation uses low-tech means of creating load-bearing, structural components from 3 simple ingredients: mycelium, hemp hurd, and organic cotton. And in 2018, he established Okomwrks making mycelium building material a reality.