Growing Matter(s)

The "Growing Matter(s)" installation was a standout feature at Milan Design Week 2025, designed by the Danish architecture firm Henning Larsen in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano. Located at Via Bonardi 9, the pavilion explored the potential of mycelium—a living fungal network—as a sustainable and dynamic building material. The installation comprised 80 mycelium spheres, each uniquely shaped by environmental factors such as humidity and airflow. The 20 spheres curated at the Laboratory spheres were cultivated using organic substrates like hemp, inoculated with strains of Pleurotus Eryngii and Pleurotus Ostreatus. These spheres remained biologically active, allowing them to evolve over time. The pavilion's design emphasized circularity and sustainability. The mycelium spheres are fully biodegradable, decomposing naturally at the end of their lifecycle. Additionally, the supporting scaffolding was borrowed and engineered for disassembly and reuse, ensuring minimal environmental impact. "Growing Matter(s)" was a collaborative project involving architects, researchers, and producers, challenging traditional notions of architectural permanence and uniformity, inviting visitors to consider the possibilities of designing with living, evolving materials.


SCIENTIFIC COORDINATOR

Ingrid Paoletti

Roberta Salierno, Marco Tira, Mateusz Rewers, Sara Yamashita, Di Yan

Partners: Henning Larsen, RIMOND, Spore.nl