For this project we 3d printed two unique 2,20 meter high organic columns for the window display of an optician store in Belgium. The two columns were printed with our mycelium (root network of fungi) and used coffee cups material.
We collect used coffee cups by bike in coffee shops across West London and create a 3dprintable biomaterial from them. We then inoculate the material with mycelium, the root network of fungi, and 3d print it into unique organic shapes designed to help the growth of the organism.
The two columns were installed in the storefront of the shop, positioned in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. One side of the columns display the shop's sustainable eyewear, while the other side hosts a full-length mirror. The rest of the shop's interior, designed by the studio WeWantMore, features sustainably sourced materials.
The columns were designed with an algorithm inspired by cross sections of tree trunks with the aim to a self sustainable structure for it to hold itself while being 3d-printed and as well as create humid and dark interstices into which the organism could to grow to its fullest. Each column was 3d printed in 6 modules onto which mycelium grew during 4 weeks. Once fully grown the pieces were dried and cooked to harden them and ensure their stability.
