A new experimental demonstration glamping concept that represents likely the first building project made using mycelium in the Czech Republic has debuted from the home reconstruction financier Buřinka with a cross-disciplinary team from Mykilio and the Czech Technical University called MYMO.

The SAMOROST concept is the latest example of sustainable construction using mushroom-based compounds as an alternative material to insulate external walls, roofs, and floors, as well as other non-load-bearing components. The cabins were designed using special proprietary mycocomposite, which they claim has been proven in lab testing over the past two years to have suitable qualities for residential structures. The experiment sought to improve usability for campers and is being pursued with support from the country’s Minister of the Environment, Petr Hladík.

Design author Tomasz Kloza, a final year Master's in architecture and urbanism candidate and member of the MYMO Association research team, explains: "SAMOROST House takes into account all the disadvantages or concerns people have expressed about camping. It is designed to take the experience to the next level. You won't mind bad weather in a beautiful bed with a view of the sky, even if it's cloudy. A well-designed interior will ensure plenty of comfort and a sink with water supply will in turn provide better sanitation. As a bonus, you will have plenty of privacy, comfort, and hotel-like luxury."

Kloza’s fellow MYMO team members Karolína Petřeková and Petra Jašicová were responsible for designing the structures' interior space, which takes the form of two parasol mushrooms divided into fourteen individual segments. Wood is used as the primary material for the support structure and roof shingles. A green facade ties the living areas and bedroom suite together, both of which are complete with mycocomposite furnishings that showcase the material’s aesthetic and textural qualities to complete the comprehensive design.

"After 3D printing with concrete, a mycelium-based material caught our attention; as much as it seems like science fiction, we saw it as the building material of the future from the beginning. And that we were not wrong and took the right path is now confirmed," Buřinka's Chairman, Libor Vošický, reviewed finally. 

Buřinka and the Mykilio team expect to complete the project later this year and exhibit documentation of their work at the National Technical Library in Prague once the construction of the prototype is completed.