Joshua English: Building Houses Out of Mushrooms

<p>Joshua English of okom wrks labs is a regenerative materials researcher and designer who has developed the strongest mycelium composite on the planet.&nbsp;</p><br><p>What does this mean, exactly?</p><br><p>Well, it means&nbsp;harnessing the self-replicating wonders of mycelium in order to create 1:1 replacements for materials that have historically led to deforestation.</p><br><p>It means building houses, furniture, boat hulls and even spaceship hulls out of mushroom mycelium instead of the increasingly rare tropical hardwoods, toxic industrial wares, etc. that are currently employed.</p><br><p>Joshua has pioneered a patent-pending mycelium based biocomposite called 'zerø-frm' with structural, load bearing properties…a monumental leap forward in the field, to say the least.</p><br><p><strong>zerø-frm</strong> uses low-tech means of creating load-bearing, structural components from 3 simple ingredients: mycelium, hemp hurd, and organic cotton.</p><br><p>I ask Joshua if it is a pie in the sky fantasy to imagine a future where the world is quite literally made out of mycelium - you paddle your mycelium-composite canoe down the canal, disembark and walk up your mycelium dock into your cozy little okom-wrks zerø-frm structural insulated panel derived cabin, and lay down on your mycelium bed to dream of sweet little birds singing in joyful harmony!</p><br><p>Spoiler alert - No, it’s not a fantasy world we’re talking about here, it’s the future of regenerative design.</p><br><p>As Joshua himself states, “Science fiction always drives science."</p><br><p>&nbsp;<strong>The potential impact of this kind of revolutionary and truly regenerative building material cannot be overstated.</strong></p><br><p><strong>In this episode we touch upon Joshua's adventures in the world of mycelium-based biocomposite design, the future of regenerative building materials, the need for regional and circular economies, and other key players in the world of mycelium-design including Ecovative and MycoWorks. </strong></p><br /><hr><p style=