Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
5 min read
0 comments
New technology developed in Singapore uses mycelium and bamboo as an eco-friendly alternative to cement and air conditioning. Fungal tiles are inspired by elephant skin.
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed an innovative solution that can reduce the temperature of buildings without using electricity. The tiles are made from fungal mycelium from oyster mushrooms and bamboo waste, molded with a wrinkled surface inspired by elephant skin.
The proposal combines sustainable biomaterials with functional design, aiming to alleviate heat in urban centers and reduce dependence on traditional materials with high carbon emissions, such as cement. Initial tests indicate that the new material is capable of slowing down heating and accelerating cooling, acting as a natural thermal insulator.
Fungal tiles are an ecological alternative to conventional air conditioning
The initiative is based on an increasingly urgent problem: the heating of cities and the high energy consumption caused by the use of air conditioning systems. In seeking more sustainable alternatives, the team of scientists opted for the use of fungi and plant fibers, creating a tile with a dual function: passive cooling and reduced environmental impact.
-
Meet the B61-13: a new US nuclear bomb equipped with a 360-kilogram warhead and ready for strategic bombers
-
The doomsday machine? The 27km ring that recreates the Big Bang and costs billions to hunt invisible particles
-
Discovery shows Ice Age humans created elaborate fireplaces using wood as the main fuel
-
Good news and bad news: the bad news is that Earth's oxygen will run out; the good news is that we won't be around to see it.
Buy
The material was developed based on the mycelium, underground part of the fungi, which acts as natural binder when combined with bamboo waste. The result is a light, porous product with good thermal resistance.
The wrinkled surface of the tiles, inspired by elephant skin, increases the moisture retention area, allowing greater efficiency in evaporative cooling — a technique that simulates heat dissipation through water evaporation.
Inspired by nature: how elephant skin helps cool buildings
Elephants, large animals that live in hot environments, do not have sweat glands. To maintain their body temperature, they have deeply wrinkled skin that accumulates water and facilitates evaporation, acting as a passive thermal regulation system.
NTU researchers replicated this texture in mycelium tiles, creating channels and recesses that retain rainwater and encourage continuous evaporation. In laboratory tests, the tiles with a wrinkled texture performed better than conventional flat surfaces.
Furthermore, simulations showed that water droplets remain longer on the wrinkled surface, which enhances cooling without the need for electricity.
Ecological tiles can replace cement in facades and roofs
With potential for use on facades, roofs and indoor environments, fungus and bamboo tiles offer a viable alternative to traditional construction materials. Cement, for example, is responsible for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions, according to industry data.
By replacing or complementing cement, these new tiles help to reduce carbon footprint in construction. Furthermore, the mycelium is biodegradable, and the plant raw material can be reused from agricultural waste, making the process more circular and less dependent on non-renewable sources.
Growth of mycelium tiles takes up to a month per unit
Despite the promising results, scientists face a logistical challenge: production time. Each tile unit takes about 30 days to grow, as the mycelium needs time to develop on the molds and form a solid structure.
To get around this limitation, the team works in partnership with a local startup specialized in biotechnology, with the aim of accelerating the cultivation process. Among the strategies being tested are the use of more resistant fungi varieties and controlled incubation techniques to gain scale.
If production time is reduced, the technology can be applied on a large scale in urban architectural projects, such as schools, hospitals and public housing.
Laboratory results indicate efficiency in passive cooling
Under simulated conditions, tiles were shown to absorb heat more slowly than conventional materials. Furthermore, after peak heating, the cooling time was significantly shorter, which reduces the thermal load on buildings.
The porosity of the mycelium, combined with the textured surface, facilitates heat exchange with the environment, without relying on fans or air conditioning systems. Simulations in outdoor environments suggest that the tiles can help reduce the internal temperature of buildings by several degrees Celsius.
This feature makes them especially useful in tropical cities and arid climate regions, where the urban heat worsens public health problems, energy consumption and quality of life.
Mycelium and bamboo reinforce global trend of biomaterials in construction
The use of mycelium as a construction material has expanded in recent years, also appearing in packaging, acoustic insulation and interior design. Bamboo, in turn, is already recognized as a renewable and resistant source, with a fast growth cycle and low cost.
By combining these two raw materials, NTU researchers are aligning themselves with a global trend: the use of biomaterials in sustainable architecture. The aim is to develop solutions that are efficient, affordable and have a low environmental impact, meeting the challenges of the cities of the future.
The innovation of fungal tiles for natural cooling represents a significant contribution to the sustainable construction sector. Instead of relying on expensive, greenhouse gas-emitting electrical systems, buildings will be able to rely on natural, efficient and biodegradable solutions.
With the advancement of research and the development of accelerated production techniques, it is possible that, in a few years, roofs and facades made of mycelium are present in urban projects around the world, making cities more resilient to heat and less dependent on artificial energy for thermal comfort.
