The Living Room by the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment
This installation features in the opening More with Less exhibition at the Farrell Centre
20 April 2023
The Farrell Centre opens to the public on Saturday 22 April 2023, with its inaugural exhibition More with Less
More with Less - Reimaging Architecture for a Changing World offers compelling new visions for architecture in the face of the climate emergency. The Farrell Centre asked four architectural practices and collaborators – Dress for the Weather, McCloy + Muchemwa, Office S&M and the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (a joint initiative between Newcastle and Northumbria Universities) – to create installations that challenge the ways we conceive, make and experience architecture in response to the seismic challenges of the climate emergency.
The Living Room
The Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment has created ‘The Living Room’ – a soft, cosy, snug internal space with thick sculpted walls. The structure itself is grown from fungal mycelium, sawdust, and wool. This innovative technique uses organic, locally available waste materials and microbial processes to radically reduce the environmental impact of construction, while asking us to reconsider the relationship between the built and natural environments.
This project has been led by Dr Ben Bridgens, Jane Scott, Dilan Ozkan and Romy Kaiser from the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape.