An Investigation of Experts’ Awareness Towards Fungal-Based Biomaterial Utilisation in Construction

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is responsible for reducing its contribution to 38% of the world’s total carbon emissions. Biodegradable materials are a potential solution to adapt to the current climate and emerging issues. Mycelium, the root part of the fungus, can be used as an alternative material to replace conventional materials that contribute vast numbers of embodied carbon. This paper investigates experts’ awareness of using fungal-based biomaterials (FBB) in architecture by conducting a survey. The results show a need to increase the awareness of experts’ awareness-based materials. Also, the significant concerns about using FBB are production cost and low humidity resistance. Despite the challenges, the respondents recommended using FBB in architecture due to its environmental benefits and fire-resistance ability.