ABSTRACT
For over thirty years, the biological degradation of plastics by microorganisms has been promoted through microbiological publications as an eco-friendly alternative for landfilling and incinerating. Nevertheless, today landfilling and incinerating are still the most economically viable ways of discarding plastics. This paper sets out to investigate whether mycelium composites could valorise plastic waste streams and inject a plastics' bioremediation process into building materials. Through an experiment-driven approach, fungal species currently used to produce mycelium composites are tested for their bioremediation potential. The species Ganoderma lucidum has thereby come to the fore as a promising candidate to degrade polyethene and PLA while resorting to the polymer as the only carbon source to sustain its growth. The findings give way to explorative research and small-scale prototyping that puts into perspective the possibilities, limitations, and areas for further research of the architectural implementation of biological degradation process of plastic waste. The paper includes a small-scale building project of a living wall segment with 3000 disposable coffee cups as a nutritional resource for the fungus. The prototypes narrate the process of biodegradation, evoking critical thinking about waste management and starting a debate that transcends disciplines on how architecture could evolve from its current shortcomings in sustainability.
