Unearthing Building Potential

A design primer for rammed earth and compressed earth blocks, written for the Center for Architecture Foundation as part of the 2014 Arnold W. Brunner Award. Covers soil testing, construction techniques, structural design, and a case study of MASS Design Group's Butaro Doctors' Housing in Rwanda. Christopher Maurer · redhouse studio · 2015 Download PDF

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BIOCYCLER: Using Mycotecture to Remediate and Recycle Buildings

Using fungi to recycle and remediate construction and demolition waste — diverting materials from landfills, purifying the built environment, and creating carbon-storing building products. From the MycoHab demonstration in Namibia to scalable strategies for disaster debris. Christopher Maurer · Chapter in Designing Mycelium, pp. 348–361 · Routledge · 2025

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Radiation protection and structural stability of fungal melanin polylactic acid biocomposites in low Earth orbit

Fungal melanin reduced PLA mass loss by 88.6% after six months on the ISS exterior, while providing superior UV shielding — advancing biologically derived materials for long-term space exploration. Cordero, de Groh, Maurer, Rothschild, Casadevall, et al. · PNAS 122(18), e2427118122 · 2025 Read at PNAS

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Biological growth as an alternative approach to on and off-Earth construction

Fungal biocomposites for growing structures at destination, reducing payload mass from Earth. Presents compressed mycelium blocks from invasive bush waste in Namibia and inflatable mycelium habitat concepts for the Moon and Mars developed under the NASA NIAC program. Brandić Lipińska, Maurer, Cadogan, Head, Rothschild, et al. · Frontiers in Built Environment 8:965145 · 2022 Read at Frontiers