Shroom Room: Parasites of the Urban Forest
Team
Name: Matilda Katsler
Nationality: Swedish
Institution / Company: Lund University
Name: Tove Hellerström
Nationality: Swedish
Institution / Company: Lund University
-FINALIST of Manhattan Wildscraper Competition
Shroom Room is a proposal inspired by polypores – a group of fungi that inhabit tree trunks. The polypore lives off the tree and is one of the most important agents of wood decay, playing a very significant role in nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide production of the forest ecosystems.
For biodiversity and ultimate sustainability, it doesn’t make sense to always create new buildings. It is better for nature to leave it unexploited. We must make sure we fully use all our buildings to the best of our ability, Shroom Room is therefore a type of infill project.
In our proposal we have decided to reuse the skyscraper on 725 5th Avenue and have it serve as a host for our Shroom Rooms. The small pods are attached to the facade of the building and can host a small bedroom or office, the original building will host additional residential units, retail space and offices. The pods are partly made of fungi and hemp and mycelium, which helps clean the air. The Shroom Rooms live off the skyscraper and at the same time add an important role for biodiversity in the urban forest.
#Greenwalls #Fungi #Airquality #Infill #Biotechnologies
