EU researchers are using agricultural waste to cultivate fungi in order to create smarter, more environmentally friendly, and adaptive building materials that can even self-repair.

In a Dutch office, Han Wösten, Professor of Molecular Biology at Utrecht University, showed a sponge-like hard block made in 2012 using the complex rooting network of fungi, and made a bold prediction about the material's potential: "In ten years, we should have the first fungal buildings." He was not referring to mouldy walls, but to living, sustainable, and highly promising materials.

Wösten studies how different fungi operate within their mycelium — a living network of filaments that nourishes the fungus and connects plants. Currently, he is designing fungal "threads" into sustainable, biodegradable alternatives to plastics, wood, and leather. These materials have already opened new applications in fashion, furniture, and construction.

Wösten is part of a research team from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom exploring a radical idea: What if building materials could grow, self-repair, and even sense their environment? The Fungateria research project aims to develop engineered living materials (ELM) by fusing fungal mycelium with bacteria, creating adaptive, self-healing materials that surpass traditional products.

Unlike conventional materials, ELMs can grow, self-repair, sense environmental changes, and even adapt over time. The researchers aim to create materials that combine the strength of natural growth with engineering functionality — such as walls that repair their own cracks, building blocks that absorb carbon dioxide, or surfaces that purify the air. The goal is to produce sustainable, low-waste materials that live in harmony with nature, opening the door to smart and eco-friendly buildings and products.

Wösten said: "We can already make leather-like materials or insulation boards from expanded fungal networks. Now we want to move to the next stage: cultivating buildings in a controlled manner."

This approach could lead to significant savings. The construction industry generates more than one-third of the EU's total waste, and the greenhouse gas emissions from material extraction, manufacturing of construction products, and building construction and renovation are estimated to account for 5% to 12% of the total emissions of EU member states. Improving material efficiency could reduce emissions by up to 80%. While manufacturing concrete emits large amounts of carbon dioxide, fungal composite construction can upgrade agricultural waste into building materials while reducing carbon emissions.

The idea of incorporating living organisms into buildings may make some people uneasy, but Phil Ayres, Professor of Bio-hybrid Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Design and Conservation in Copenhagen and a pioneer in the field, sees it as a process of societal adaptation. Ayres coordinates the Fungateria research team and wants to overturn the architectural dogma that materials are controllable and have fixed properties. He said: "For hundreds of years, we have been eating food containing living organisms, but only in the last 20 years have we begun to explore their potential applications in architecture. All buildings change significantly over time. If we view buildings as organisms in a continuous state, we may be able to create structures with stronger ecological connections."

The researchers connect fields such as microbiology, architecture, and ethics, and attract public attention through exhibitions and seminars such as the Venice Biennale. In the field of architecture, fungal mycelium can be induced to feed on agricultural waste, forming strong, lightweight, and insulating composite materials. However, controlling growth is the key to building safe and durable structures.

The fungi used by the researchers is the split-gill mushroom, which mainly grows on dead wood. After the structure is completed, mycelial growth must be stopped to prevent erosion of the wooden supports. One method is to use natural signals such as light and temperature to prompt the fungus to grow or stop; the second is to use genetically engineered bacteria from Ghent University in Belgium. These bacteria provide essential nutrients to the fungus, and killing the bacteria can stop fungal growth. The bacteria can even be programmed to release antifungal compounds on command, providing additional safety assurance.

The Fungateria researchers will continue their collaboration until the end of 2026. They have already proven that this fungus can grow and survive under harsh conditions such as drought and high temperatures, meaning it can withstand the effects of climate change. The research team envisions that future buildings will be constructed from wood and fungal material grown in agricultural waste during a living construction process.

Wösten said: "I can imagine that in the future we will cultivate entire buildings, with wood as the supporting structure and fungi growing along and between the wooden frames." As global demand for sustainable solutions increases, this research points out that future buildings will not only be inspired by nature but also composed of nature — vibrant, highly adaptive, and interwoven with the surrounding ecosystem.