From Evolution to Innovation

Mycelium over Mortar:
How Fungi Build

What looks like a tangle of roots beneath the soil could be the building material of the future: mycelium – the vegetative network of fungi – can be processed into solid building blocks. Companies such as Ecovative and Mogu combine agricultural or textile waste with fungal spores, allowing the mycelium to grow in moulds and bind the particles into stable structures. Within just a few days, the material is dried – resulting in a robust, emissions-free product that can be composted once it’s no longer needed. Whether as wall modules, insulation panels
or acoustic tiles, it’s a way of building that’s truly circular.

Seaweed Solutions:
Rethinking Packaging

While the world continues to debate alternatives to plastic, Notpla has found its answer in the sea. The start-up produces packaging, drinks containers and takeaway boxes from brown seaweed – with no microplastics or petroleum. Its transparent membranes biodegrade within four to six weeks, or can simply be eaten. Notpla first made headlines with its “Ooho!” drink capsules, which athletes swallowed mid-race during the London Marathon. Best of all, seaweed grows by up to a metre a day, requires neither freshwater nor fertiliser
and captures CO2 as it grows.

Shark Skin Secrets:
Anti-Bacterial Surfaces by Design

What can fight bacteria without using chemicals? Researchers at the University of Florida discovered that germs rarely settle on shark skin. Tiny ridges make it mechanically difficult for bacteria to cling. Sharklet Technologies applies the same principle: its microscopic diamond-shaped pattern has been shown to reduce colonisation by dangerous hospital pathogens such as MRSA by up to 94% – without biocides or antibiotics. Originally developed for the US Navy to prevent algae build-up on ships, the technology could soon make touchscreens, door handles and other high-contact surfaces more hygienic.

Collective Genius:
Ants and the Future of Logistics

Ants don’t need bosses – they follow simple rules yet build complex systems. Logistics is now drawing on the same principle. Amazon Robotics (formerly Kiva Systems) uses algorithms inspired by collective behaviour to make warehouses more efficient. Robots follow barcodes on the floor, exchange information and deliver entire shelves directly to staff. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics is developing similar systems: instead of central control, robots make their own decisions, coordinate via Wi-Fi and form a flexible, fault-tolerant network – making supply chains more resilient.

Termite Mound Magic:
Self-Cooling Buildings

Marvels of natural engineering, termite mounds have become a blueprint for energy-efficient architecture. Their principle is simple: warm air rises through central chimneys, drawing in cooler air from below. Architect Mick Pearce applied exactly this system at the Eastgate Centre in Harare. The office complex in Zimbabwe uses air channels, thermal mass and targeted night-time ventilation to cut air-conditioning energy use by up to 90%. Melbourne’s CH2 Building takes a similar approach with cooled concrete ceilings, while The Edge in Amsterdam uses an atrium as a thermal buffer. The lesson? Sustainable climate control doesn’t have to mean high-tech – just smart design, which can become even more efficient with AI-driven management 

EXPLORE THE BRANDS
Select exhibitors:

• Grovero
• Hengbot
• Mosslab
• Paptic
• Plant with Willow
• Portance
• Wolfram Chemie
• ….and more!