Nature Biotechnology - Fungal architecture is a thing, and it’s eye-catching
It takes an alchemist to create a palette of sustainable biomaterials from delicate, living organisms thinner than a hair. But that metamorphosis is exactly what drives Italian biomaterials company SQIM. Located in Varese, Italy, the company, previously named Mogu, was co-founded in 2015 by Maurizio Montalti to work with mycelium, the network of cellular threads that makes up the body of the fungus. Montalti was first drawn to mycelium for its recycling prowess.
Depending on the species of fungus, the feedstock and other processing variables, SQIM develops materials with bespoke mechanical and physical features, such as strength and elasticity. Montalti has experimented with a large variety of fungal strains, substrates and growing conditions, eventually selecting one, which remains a trade secret.
Montalti’s work, which began at his Amsterdam-based design practice Officina Corpuscoli, has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Design Museum in London, MAXXI in Rome and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, among others. Through SQIM, Montalti has also expanded into fashion with Ephea, a mycelium-based material, part of a collaboration with Balenciaga.
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