Mycokast is a new generation of urban materials based on a soil or stone composite and mushroom spores and that is able to “self-repair” in extreme conditions and form a new urban landscape. 

Karst sinkhole is a unique natural phenomenon that is caused by groundwater movement inside soluble ground rocks. The project aims to utilize biotechnologies in relation to materials with a high probability of destruction.  The focus is on the fungal spores due to their ability to grow and expand along the pores and cracks of the material under moisture and realize biocementation of ground.

Based on the karst ravine in Kazan city, the experimental study allowed to prove that fungal spores are able to mineralize karst`s calcite with limestone formation and shape a unique morphology without human intervention. The gained modules based on karst, dolomite, ash and fungal component demonstrates the strength of 40 MPa. 

The breakthrough of the work is that the technology of managing urban “non-programmable” phenomena, demonstrated on the example of karst, can be applied both to geological and architectural materials.