Introduction:
Dutch design duo Eric Klarenbeek and Maartje Dros at Studio Eric Klarenbeek have been exploring the potential of mycelium (the threadlike network of fungi) since 2003, when they were still students. After 16 years of experimentation, they now focus on developing methods of 3D-printing living organisms, such as mycelium, in combination with local raw materials to create products with negative carbon footprints.

The designers believe that this technology can be applied to a broad spectrum of functions. To demonstrate this, the studio produced the ‘Mycelium Chair’ using their technology. It is simultaneously an ode and a challenge to the chair as the archetypal design object, with the form inspired by natural growth. It also reflects on the exciting possibilities of cutting edge technology used in 3D printing.

The plant-based material used to make the chair means that it has sustainable qualities and creates new potential throughout its life and after-life. As with living organisms, the chair releases oxygen into the atmosphere throughout its life cycle. The production process reduces energy use by eliminating the necessity of heating materials during the printing process and using local resources and manufacturing results in objects with negative carbon footprints. Once it has reached the end of its usefulness, the chair is fully compostable. Far from harming the environment, the chair becomes fertilizer for new plants to grow.

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