Seoul became the setting for an unique architectural experiment in 2025, where a public installation was made from mushroom mycelium and agricultural waste instead of conventional building materials.
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installation → become → materials
Named as Walls of Public Life, the project was created by Mumbai-based
Anomalia for the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
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project → name → Architecture
Its blocks were grown using fungal networks that bind crop waste together, turning discarded organic material into lightweight building components.
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that → grow → components
The installation offered a different way of thinking about walls, showing how some future construction materials could be cultivated rather than manufactured.
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materials → offer → walls
Seoul’s mycelium walls turn mushroom waste into architecture
The Walls of Public Life installation was created for the first outdoor exhibition of the Seoul Biennale, held at Songhyeon Green Plaza.
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installation → turn → Plaza
According to Anomalia’s project website, the studio was invited to create one of 24 Walls of Public Life for the 2025 event, curated by Thomas Heatherwick.
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studio → accord → Heatherwick
The project explored what building facades could become if they were grown from mushroom mycelium rather than produced entirely through conventional industrial processes.
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they → explore → processes
Instead of treating agricultural waste as something to discard, the project used it as the main growing material.
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project → treat → material
Crop waste was mixed with mycelium cultures, allowing the fungal network to spread through the organic material and naturally hold it together.
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network → mix → it
This gave the waste a new purpose.
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This → give → purpose
Anomalia states that each block used 2.1 kilograms of crop waste while weighing about 1.5 kilograms.
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block → state → kilograms
The resulting material could then be shaped into architectural components without relying on the energy-intensive processes normally associated with many conventional construction materials.
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material → result → materials
Image Credit: ANOMALIA
The wall was grown through a low-energy process
The production method was relatively straightforward.
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method → grow → process
Once the crop waste and mycelium cultures were combined, the mixture was placed into moulds.
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mixture → combine → moulds
The fungal network grew through the material and acted as a natural binding system.
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network → grow → system
The blocks were then dried and stabilised, producing the components used for the Seoul installation.
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blocks → dry → installation
Architecture Lab, in its report on Walls of Public Life, describes the installation as being made from MycoBlox and Biobo panels, which are mycelium-based materials combined with agricultural byproducts.
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which → describe → byproducts
The fungal networks bind the organic material as they grow, producing lightweight components with significant compressive strength.
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they → bind → strength
Anomalia’s own account gives the blocks a tested compressive capacity of up to 1.5 tons.
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account → give → tons
That detail is important because the project was not simply about making an unusual surface from mushrooms.
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project → make → mushrooms
It was also an attempt to demonstrate that materials grown from biological processes could have practical qualities suitable for architectural use.
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materials → demonstrate → use
What made the facade different from an ordinary wall
The installation was designed to look and behave differently from the sealed surfaces commonly found on buildings.
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installation → make → buildings
Its porous structure allowed air and light to pass through, while its uneven texture created a surface that could be experienced through touch as well as sight.
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that → allow → touch
MYCL, the Indonesian material company involved in the research and production, describes the installation as a breathable and interactive facade.
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MYCL → involve → facade
Its account says the MycoBlox provided 3D modular blocks, while the square BIBO panels created another layer within the structure.
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panels → say → structure
Instead of functioning simply as a solid division between people and their surroundings, the installation was intended to create a more open relationship between the structure, visitors and the surrounding environment.
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installation → function → structure
The project connected Mumbai, Bandung and Seoul
The unique wall was also the result of work spread across three countries.
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wall → connect → countries
According to Anomalia, the design was developed in Mumbai, India, while the materials were grown in Bandung, Indonesia, in collaboration with MYCL.
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materials → accord → MYCL
The finished components were then transported to South Korea and assembled at Songhyeon Green Plaza in Seoul.
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components → transport → Seoul
MYCL similarly describes the project as a cross-border collaboration between architectural design and material research.
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MYCL → describe → design
Its production model avoided the idea that every part of a building material has to come from a conventional high-heat manufacturing facility.
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part → avoid → facility
The collaboration also brought together different areas of expertise.
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collaboration → bring → expertise
Anomalia handled design and research, while MYCL worked on material research and production.
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MYCL → handle → research
The project was supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and P4G(Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030).
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project → support → Growth
What could grown building materials offer future architecture
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materials → grow → architecture
The Seoul installation presented mycelium materials as biodegradable and carbon negative.
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installation → present → materials
MYCL describes that the materials were designed to return to the earth at the end of their useful life.
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materials → describe → life
MYCL notes that the framework allowed the installation to be disassembled, supporting a more circular approach to construction rather than treating the structure as something permanently fixed in place.
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installation → note → place
Architecture Lab describes Walls of Public Life as a practical test of mycelium composite blocks in an outdoor public setting, where the material faced rain, storms, humidity and regular human interaction.
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material → describe → rain
The Aporia
