November 6, 2012 11:22 am The rise of modernist design in the
late 19th century was an aesthetic movement emboldened by the
arrival of new construction materials, such as plastic and
molded wood—developments that encouraged the manufacture of
furniture with a smooth, sleek, minimalist look. In a similar
vein, Philip Ross, a chef and artist now based in San Francisco,
is forging a new look by harnessing an unlikely new construction
material: fungus. Feeding it agricultural waste, Ross grows each
prototype onsite in an ultra-controlled environment, using a
mold, filtered air, gravity, and pressure to achieve the shape:
An armchair took two weeks to grow. Then he kiln-dies them,
leaving little or no odor and a texture similar to high-density
foam or cork. By combining the fungal growth with other
materials, Ross makes things like tables and chairs. But Ross is
not the only person harnessing the potential of fungi. The
company Planetary One, says Inhabitat, wants to use fungus
bricks to build houses. The team at