Mycelium Path – A Bio-Architecture Vision for Wetland Sustainability

Project by Ivona Mangovic Shortlisted Entry of the WIC Competition

“There are some truths, even fundamental ones, that tend to escape us. The most fundamental truth about our home on Earth is that all living things are interconnected.” – Starer, 1956

MYCELIUM PATH wetland research center, the vegetative part of fungi composed of microscopic hyphae, is revolutionizing the world of bio-architecture. Known for its ability to purify water, break down toxins, and act as a biodegradable material, mycelium offers a resilient and symbiotic alternative to conventional construction materials.

This proposal envisions a wetland research center near the River Tame in the Tame Valley Wetlands, a region rich in biodiversity and history. The area, once environmentally degraded, now serves as an opportunity to showcase how sustainable materials like mycelium can not only restore but also celebrate ecological balance.

Mycelium as a Material of the Future

Mushrooms are nature’s recyclers. In wetlands, they thrive as primary decomposers, transforming organic waste into minerals. The design explores mycelium’s potential as a building material — lightweight, self-healing, and environmentally integrated.

This project asks a fundamental question: Can mycelium be the key to the future of sustainable architecture? With its abilities to regenerate ecosystems and break down environmental toxins, the answer seems promising.

Site and Environmental Integration

The River Tame floodplains, stretching across Warwickshire, Birmingham, and Staffordshire, are home to over 1,000 hectares of vital wetland ecosystems. The project’s vision is to create an architectural intervention that enhances access to this landscape while working in harmony with its natural dynamics.

Form Finding from Nature’s Roots

Inspired by the root-like hyphae structure of mycelium, the architectural form mimics its microscopic entanglement. These organic threads symbolize the underlying connections that sustain ecosystems. The design emerges as a tribute to these patterns — a biomimetic approach to form finding, circulation, and floor organization.

Zones of Education and Immersion

The facility is split into two primary zones:

• Zone 1: Education and Laboratory – This area includes an educational sector to inform the public about wetlands and fungi, and a laboratory sector where visitors can witness mycelium applications firsthand.
• Zone 2: Immediate Experience – A more immersive space that allows visitors to experience the wetlands directly, through sensory engagement with its ecosystems.

Architecture that Dissolves into Nature

Using hyphae-inspired membranes, the structure appears to fade into the wetlands — physically and metaphorically merging built form with nature. Visitors move through gradients of spatial intensity: from solid interiors to transparent, dissolving boundaries.

Through bio-architecture, this center becomes not just a research hub, but a symbol of ecological interdependence — a structure that breathes, decays, renews, and disappears into the environment it protects.