Art & Design

Mycelium Chair: 3D-printed using living fungus, which makes it stronger!

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Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek created a seat using fungi, straw and 3D printing technology. The Mycelium Chair is a sculptural furniture fused with durable material combining futuristic technology with biological processes. The chair is on display during Dutch Design Week.

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Klarenbeek collaborated with the University of Aachen in order to find a way to 3D-print living material.

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Mycelium is the thread-like network found in fungus, which was mixed with straw and water and put inside the printer. When printed, the living fungi continued to grow, replacing the water, to create a solid material.

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According to Klarenbeek the chair represents a concept rather than a functional piece, promoting the 3D printing technique potential.
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He is planning to take this project further, creating more furniture or a whole interior of a house. He claims scientists could create buildings out of it.

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Klarenbeek dried out the chair and covered it with a thin layer of bioplastic allowing mushrooms to grow out of the chair, as a design element.

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