The development of an acoustic insulation solution using mushroom mycelium as an alternative to synthetic foams

Abstract: In the past decades, humanity is facing the consequences of the irresponsible production of plastics and the expansion of industries such as industrial agriculture, Therefore, the development of new sustainable alternative materials has become increasingly popular as a science field. That is the case of mycelium composites, a biodegradable material made out of agricultural and the thread-like roots of mushrooms called mycelium. The mycelium, when growing, binds all the particles of organic matter together, creating a stiff material that takes the shape of the mold where it was cultivated. The material is lightweight, fire resistant, provides acoustic and thermal insulation and has good behavior under compression efforts. So far, research has been conducted on testing the properties of the material, but there is a lack of knowledge on how to address this material from a design perspective. How to design with it, how to make it appealing to the users or how to value its intrinsic characteristics. For that, the design thinking methodology "Design thinking bootleg" was followed and theory and methods under the perspective of "Design for emotion" and the approach of "Material driven design" that facilitates design processes where the material is the main driver. An acoustic insulation solution was developed as a result, since it was concluded to be the most competitive application among the different possibilities of mycelium composites. The product aims for a certain emotional response in the users, seeking the development of an emotional connection and creating awareness about the role mushrooms play in nature and the use of sustainable materials. Eventually, the product succeeded in transmitting more than mere curiosity, especially after explaining the story behind it. Overall, the product is still far from competing against plastics in terms of scalability and speed of production. However, research on this topic is increasing exponentially and the material proves to have a lot of potential, so it is expected to be improved in the next few years.