A team of designers and scientists from the Hub for Biotechnology and the Built Environment are exploring how 3D knitted fabric can be programmed and applied structurally at human scale using fungi, bacteria, and simple physics.

Called the Bioknit Prototype, the biohybrid structure combines biotechnology, digital fabrication and computation. Rather than being grown in a lab, the prototype was grown “The OME”, an experimental test bed in Newcastle.

The structure consists of mycelium, cellulose produced by bacteria, and a 3D knitted fabric made from wool and linen. The materials dramatically lower the environmental impact compared to conventional construction materials.

The knitted fabric functions as a scaffold and scaling agent to guide the growth of mycelium and form a bespoke composite. This structure provides the framework to host 2m long bacterial cellulose panels pre-grown to predetermined shapes. The 1.8 m high and 2m diameter structure was grown as a single piece, which means the mycelium knit surface has sufficient compressive strength to support a free-standing slender vault. Bacterial cellulose has been applied as a tactile skin and surface treatment to explore the material’s expressive qualities as a biohybrid in combination with mycelium and knitting.

Photos: Hub for Biotechnology and the Built Environment