Group 01
MYCO-POD

The boiler house is a center to bring together a community through the hosting of free workshops and low-cost workshop spaces. Workshops include woodworking and mycelium growing as a way of teaching new hands-on skills to the community. Mycelium is the root network of mushrooms and can be used in architecture as an insulator and as a structural material. In the future, the Boiler House strives to fit their building with mycelium insulation, a carbon-negative product. For the past few weeks, they have been growing mycelium insulation for us to design a sitting pod to fill with this locally-grown insulation. This pod will educate the public and funders about the power of mycelium while providing a usable seat to experience the insulative and acoustic dampening effects. The pod will also house research about how mycelium is grown, how it can be used as insulation, and how effective it is. The work we do will help contribute to the research and funding needed to make their unheated hangar space usable in the colder months. Our project aims to provide a product for the Boiler House that showcases their workshop facilities, mycelium growing initiative, and helps get funding to insulate their building. During the two weeks you spend with our team you will get to partake in a physical build and research a new carbon-negative, sustainable material.

Download Final Report

Lauren Lok-Men N / Mary D / Ugne B / Binyang Z / Holly W

WHAT IS THE BOILER HOUSE

The boiler house is a former power station located in Moss Side, Manchester. In the 1990s it functioned as a power station for thousands of homes, and since …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:53
GROW YOUR SKILLS

The skills you will develop through our project are research about sustainable products, construction of wood and insulation through a design build, and graphic …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:55
THE PROJECT OUTPUT

In short, the project is to utilize the workshops that the boiler house offer to design and build a physical pod for people to sit and work in. This pod will provide …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:56
Hi, I'm Binyang

I am from Beijing, China and did my undergrad at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

I am in the studio: Infrastructure Space. I have …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 22:01
Hi, I’m Ugne!

I graduated from the University of Westminster in 2021.
I’m currently in Continuity in Architecture Atelier. I love old and unique buildings, and adaptive reuse …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 22:04
Hi, I’m Mary!

I graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2021 and spent a year out working in a primary school with children who were behind due to Covid.

I’m currently in …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 22:05
Hi, I'm Holly!

I am from Leeds, UK, and previously studied at the University of Nottingham. During my year out I worked at the Associated Architects. Currently, I am in the atelier: …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 22:08
Hi, I’m Lauren!

I graduated from the University of Toronto in 2021 and worked at Perkins & Will for one year. Currently, I am in the Some Kind of Nature Atelier. I am interested …More
Posted 12 Mar 2023 22:08
Day 1:
We started the first day of MSA live with Introductions to get to know the team, following this we introduced The Boiler house and the community workshops that they run. We …More
Posted 10 May 2023 12:40
Day 2: During the second day of MSA live we split in two groups. The building team and the booklet design team worked on their respective tasks. The design team researched mycelium …More
Posted 10 May 2023 21:55
DAY 2 Site Visit
The build team corresponded with the client throughout the day to get design feedback and utilized provided site specifications to create initial design ideas.

Following …More
Posted 10 May 2023 22:47
DAY 3: BUILD TEAM.
On the third day of the MSA Live project, the building team started morning by meeting with the client in the Boiler House. We discussed the design ideas that we …More
Posted 11 May 2023 20:04
Day 3: Research Team
The team were invited to take part in a mushroom and mycelium growing course. During this, we learned about the conditions in which mushrooms grow and how mycelium …More
Posted 11 May 2023 21:39
Day 3: Research/ Mushroom team
We spend the day with Ladislav (Lad), the ‘Mushroom and Mycelium expert’ at the Boiler House, getting our hands dirty creating our very own Mushroom …More
Posted 14 May 2023 17:15
DAY 4: BUILD TEAM
Day 4 for the eco-shed project started with a productive meeting in the Boiler House. The team gathered together to draw technical CAD drawings as blueprints to start …More
Posted 15 May 2023 15:08
Day 4: Research/ Mushroom team
The final day of our Mushroom and Mycelium course at the boiler house involved yet more exciting hands-on work!
In the morning session Lad delivered …More
Posted 15 May 2023 20:41
Day 5: BUILD TEAM
Today is the first day of construction. We first started with constructing the walls of the eco-shed. To start we cut down materials to create a timber frame structure. …More
Posted 16 May 2023 05:33
Day 5: Research/ Mushroom team
A slightly different setting today, we opted for a hybrid workspace and shared a home cooked team meal- which of course included Mushroom Pizza!! We …More
Posted 16 May 2023 08:36
Day 6: Build Team
Today the build team started cladding the timber frames we built yesterday with OSB. Prior to that they had to be coated with timber preservative to protect from …More
Posted 16 May 2023 22:09
Day 6: Research/ Mushroom team

The team spent the day working on the Mycelium specification document in Grosvenor East. Compiling and visualising all of the rich, hands-on content …More
Posted 18 May 2023 12:11
Day 7: BUILD TEAM

Today is the 3rd day of the construction of the eco-shed. Unfortunately, the construction of the shelter had to be cancelled since the City Council did not complete …More
Posted 18 May 2023 23:26
Day 7:

On day 7 the research team were cracking on with research on mycelium insulation, its life cycle and its uses compared to the unsustainable alternative PIR.
There was a …More
Posted 19 May 2023 17:32
Day 8: BUILD TEAM

Today is the 4th day of the construction of the eco-shed. On the one hand, the original plan was to finish the eco-shed construction today, but installing the cladding …More
Posted 19 May 2023 18:42
Day 8: Research/ Mushroom team
Nearly done! The team spent the day finalizing the visualizations for the research we have completed, and compiling the Mycelium specification document …More
Posted 19 May 2023 19:22
Day 9 the build team finished their shed! and dismantled it to be flat packed and moved to site. All four walls got cladded up and we built a door for the shed today. After this got …More
Posted 19 May 2023 19:25