Building(s) Tomorrow(s) with Fungi. Mycelium as Material and Method (BFUNGI)

Project lead: Sen. Sct. Dr. Sarah Kolb (Co.Lab Mycelial Space, Institute for Art and Education)

Project team: Consortium: Univ.-Prof. DI Martin Kaltenbrunner (JKU Soft Materials Lab, Johannes Kepler University Linz), Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Sametinger (Department of Design Theory and Design Research, Institute of Design), Univ.-Prof. MMag. Jutta Strohmaier (Department of Art and Education & Co.Lab Mycelial Space, Institute of Art and Education) / PhD projects: BSc MArch Jitka Effenberger (JKU Soft Materials Lab, Johannes Kepler University Linz), Mag. art. Nikolaus Gansterer (Department of Art and Education, Institute of Art and Education), Univ.-Ass. DI Flavia Matei (Department of Architecture / BASEhabitat, Institute of Design)

Project partners: Forum Umweltbildung, Climate Alliance Austria, Austrian Institute for Building Biology and Building Ecology, MyPilz & Wiener Pilzfestspiele, sendance permeable electronis, Austrian Mycological Society, Mycological Working Group at the Biology Center Linz, Ars Electronica, St. Florian Federal College of Agriculture

Funding type: FWF #ConnectingMinds Project

Project duration: October 2026 to September 2031

Institute: Institute for Art and Education

Fungi are fascinating organisms. Through their extensive mycelial networks, they play a vital role in our ecosystems: they form diverse symbiotic relationships with plants and animals, decompose organic and inorganic matter, break down pollutants, and help createfertile conditions for a wide variety of species. As such, fungi offer a wealth of opportunities for technological innovation and sustainable futures.

A team of researchers working across materials science, architecture, art, design, and education explores this largely untapped potential of fungi from an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective. Working closely with practice partners from education, culture, industry, and civil society – including Forum Umweltbildung and Climate Alliance Austria – the project brings together scientific, artistic, and societal knowledge to advance mycelium as both a material and a model for sustainable coexistence.

Two central questions guide the project: What can fungi teach us about addressing today’s socio-ecological challenges? And how can this knowledge be translated into tangible technological and societal practices?

To address these questions, BFUNGI combines materials research, regenerative design, artistic research, and participatory formats. Within materials research, the project develops mycelium-based materials and applications for architecture and electronics that can be produced resource-efficiently and composted in line with circular economy principles. Through artistic approaches that foster open-ended experimentation, it invites participants to question familiar perspectives and explore new ways of understanding fungi as both a material and a conceptual model.

As an interface between art, research, practice, and the public, the Mobile Fungi Lab creates accessible spaces for collaborative experimentation and exchange across diverse communities. Horizontal learning formats engage children, young people, and adults alike as experts in shaping sustainable futures, while fostering a deeper understanding of ecological interdependencies through the sensory and aesthetic qualities of fungi. Workshops, field trips, exhibitions, and other formats invite participants to experience fungi not only in terms of their biological characteristics but also as a model for collaborative practices rooted in plurality, participation, and creative exchange.

Fungi reveal alternatives to linear growth, hierarchical knowledge systems, and extractive forms of resource use. They demonstrate that cooperation and interconnectedness are fundamental to the resilience of ecosystems. By bringing together science, art, and society, BFUNGI opens up new pathways towards socio-ecological transformation that are grounded not only in technological innovation but also in new ways of collaboratively shaping more sustainable futures.

Contact: Sen. Sct. Dr. Sarah Kolb / sarah.kolb@kunstuni-linz.at

Weblink: www.fwf.ac.at/forschungsradar/10.55776/CMD1518325 / www.fwf.ac.at/aktuelles/detail/antworten-mit-verantwortung-neue-connectingminds-projekte-2026-starten