The bold idea of ​​the American architect guy: 'Planting' houses on Mars from mushroom roots

Because of the high cost of transporting construction materials to Mars, Christopher Maurer conducted research and experimented with a completely new material created from the discarded part of conventional fungi.

With the development of current technology, you may have at least once heard of the 'big boys' ambitions to conquer Mars around the world, including Elon Musk. Their general idea, and has also appeared in many sci-fi films, is to build a modern round-roof system to help people exist on the surface of the Red Planet.

However, is this idea really positive? I don't know what you think, but for architect Christopher Maurer from Cleveland, USA, the answer is definitely 'no'. He said: 'I don't think dome houses on Mars are serious scientific ideas.'

Maurer thinks the idea of ​​building a domed house on Mars is impossible.

Maurer said that although many people still think about the conquest of Mars in their dreams, they actually realize that the trip to the Red Planet will most likely be a 'no return' journey. However, that did not stop the curiosity and enjoyment of humanity.

In early May, the Mars One Foundation's Mars Exploration Volunteer Program (with the ambition to conquer this planet in 2023) attracted 200,000 participants. Or Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has also announced that he will build a million-dollar city on Mars by 2024 by creating a domed house system from the exploited materials here.

These ideas are theoretically great but overlook many practical factors. For example, the average temperature on Mars is - 55 degrees Celsius, or more importantly, the planet may not contain as much oxygen as it needs on Earth.

The idea of ​​conquering Mars is great, but don't forget that the environment on the Red Planet is also extremely harsh.

However, that does not mean that we will never be able to conquer the Red Planet. In contrast, Maurer proposed an unimaginable project: "Planting" houses on Mars from mushrooms. He even collaborated with NASA to realize his ideas.

From the problem of building materials in the universe

Currently, we will spend about $ 10,000 to transport 0.5 kg of material to orbit. Even SpaceX has to admit you will not be able to bring everything you need to Mars because the transportation costs are too expensive. This means that if you want to settle in the Red Planet, you will have to build from the main materials you can find there.

The cost of transporting construction materials to Mars is still a problem that has not been solved for current experts.

Red soil on Mars is also a great idea, but keep in mind that in order to avoid deadly radiation in space, your house needs walls of at least 3 meters thick. This means that you will most likely have to live 'underground' instead of free to explore on the surface. It doesn't sound as spectacular as the phrase 'conquering Mars', right?

Until a daring organic solution

During the past 3 years, Maurer has conducted many experiments with mushrooms at his Redhouse Studio Architecture design company. To be more precise, he experimented with the discarded parts of the fungus as the root structure (the part we humans cannot eat). He said this root can be pressed into planks that are strong enough to build a solid house.

He had the opportunity to meet and exchange his hypothesis with Lynn Rothschild, one of the researchers at NASA and who believed that the mushroom's filamentous roots could become a future building material. The big idea met, the two quickly collaborated to realize their vision: 'Planting' houses from mushroom roots, and more specifically, bringing this application to Mars instead of under the Earth.

Maurer has been researching mushroom roots at Redhouse Studio Architecture for the past 3 years.

Maurer said: 'With each mushroom spore, you can create a kind of filamentous root. With a bit of biological adjustment, just bring a few grams of spores into the universe, we can get hundreds of thousands of tons of construction materials . ' And in combination with careful design, storage in vacuum bags, this kind of yarn will germinate buildings easily without too much human effort.

Currently, Maurer and Rothschild hope to be able to prove their theory to win NASA funding. They will convert 775 kilograms of construction materials (only plastic shells) into a complete building that can 'grow' within a few weeks.

The material is not new but very strange

Using the mushroom roots to make construction materials seems to be a 'crazy' idea that you've never thought of. In fact, this kind of thing has the same durability as wood but is lighter, does not catch fire and is capable of self-healing after suffering damage. With just a little water, CO2 for photosynthesis and some seaweed, it can completely 'grow' into objects or a complete house.

Rothschild said: 'The idea of ​​using biological structures to build facilities on Mars is really weird and fictitious. However, think about it, we've been doing this process for thousands of years on Earth. Whether it's a tent or a small wooden house, we've been using biological products for a long time in construction. Like my outfit, shoes are made of leather, sweaters are woven from wool and trousers are made of cotton. Isn't that all biological products? '

Maurer and Rothschild believe that we can "grow" plants from mushroom roots.

Rothschild even suggested that besides building materials, mushrooms could absorb radiation that is dangerous to humans. Mushrooms can produce melanin (melanin), which is the ingredient that makes human skin tan, to convert harmful energy into organic food.

On the other hand, Rothschild and Maurer also hoped to build facilities like normal houses on Earth, because we can fully bend the yarn in whatever shape we want. If their project is successful, life on Mars will be really easy and attractive.