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Etienne Issa

Etienne Issa

2012 . Bachelor of Environmental Design (University of Dalhousie)

2016 . Master of Architecture (University of Dalhousie)

2022 . PhD researcher between VUB (architectural engineering and microbiology) and Università di Camerino (circular architecture)

Applied-research of mycelium through low-tech vernacular approaches for built envrionments.

PhD research

Fungal Ties : Mycoremediation for Circular Cities and Resilient Communities

Date2022 - 2025
SupervisorsLars De Laet and Eveline Peeters
FundsUniversità di Camerino

While the building industry persistently contributes to non valorized waste leading to oversaturated aquatic and terrestrial carbon sinks, speculative development and land privatization reinforce disparities for the right to the city. The research aims to learn from nature, following its pathways to introduce pressing symbiotic modes of coexistence between nature and culture for ecological and social justice. Following a circular model for cities, the project relies on the valorization of building waste streams to address growing concerns related to climate change and material scarcity. The cross-sectoral inquiry focuses on large scale non-sterile fungal applications paired with CRD (construction, renovation, and demolition) detritus. The applied research follows a low-tech vernacular approach to the development of architectural typologies through self supportive and load bearing prototypes informed by variable ways of casting, growing and drying mycelium composites. The iterative work taps into visual culture as a breaking point for proposing critical alternatives to petroleum-based products in the building industry using mycelium as an organic binder for converting collected urban debris from CRD sites. While mycelium has shown its ability to thrive off fibrous lignocellulosic waste, the research investigates the potential gains in structural behaviour and insulating standards by adding pulverized mineral construction residuals. As such, the inquiry explores circular and regenerative methodologies for fungal organisms to disrupt linear material trajectories and violent building practices towards resilient ecosystemic environments. Ultimately, the project explores how mycelium can activate new correspondences with vernacular architecture reorienting the practice of contemporary building to a process of transparency, accessibility, care, shared knowledge and collective agency towards ecological and social justice.