New methodologies of mycelium form-making promise innovative relationships between architectural systems and the domestic. More than a microhome, LIFE-FRAME utilizes these mycelium volumes to infill the structure of living, creating a thick wall condition teeming with plants, mushrooms, and views of the outside world. It is a framework for new ways of living centered around a new living frame.
The blocks – insulation, mushroom, and plants – are cast from 3d printed molds, using baked mycelium composite as a light, plastic, growing material. Because of the ease of production and high thermal insulative performance, the casted mycelium blocks function as a sustainable and high-performing enclosure system. To incorporate glazing into the wall system, modular translucent panels and skylights fit the voids of the structural waffle system, forming a gradient of light and life that responds to dynamic site conditions. Beyond promoting mental well-being, this system of blocks also provides a sustainable food source for its users, functioning as an agricultural system as much as a domestic one.
The waffle structure is constructed from CNC-milled plywood components, which are prefabricated off-site and transported for assembly. Because of this production process, these components can slide into each other, forming a robust interlocking system without additional fasteners. Within the structure, prefabricated programmed volumes supply area for the entrance, kitchen, and bedroom. In sticking out of the central volume, they also create an occupiable space in-between structure and enclosure, as a “shrink-wrapped” plastic membrane is pulled off the central volume and fixed to the ground through metal rods. This area is adjustable but primarily oriented toward the south to support the growth of the plant-filled southern façade.
Inside the waffle, the bathroom and storage are built into a southern infrastructural band, allowing for the complete vegetation of the south facade. A compostable toilet along with water, material, and heat storage are contained directly below the living area, accessible via removable floor panels. Plywood offsets integrated into the waffle pieces lift the volume from the ground while facilitating a “breathable” ventilation system using small fans and operable openings at the bottom of the frame. This continuous air supply is piped through sand, filling most of the structure’s base cavities and functioning as heat storage, helping the interior maintain climactic control throughout the year. As the LIFE-FRAME is occupied, it gains the nuance of platforms, ladders, plants, and furniture; all growing in and out of the frame. Each volume and enclosure would come to represent the diverse lives they contain, assisted by the agency given to each occupant through the open-ended frame structure. Beyond a frame full of life – an archi-tectonic system – it becomes a framework for living.
