By Naomi Ashworth, Bianca Russo, Carolyn Tam, Larasati Gunyuu and Thomas James

As urban environments increase with global population, we’re beginning to recognise the potentially harmful impact that urbanisation has on the natural habitat, wildlife, and our own physical and psychological well being.

The demand for natural environments and green space within cities is becoming greater. With a focus on making home grown plants and vegetables accessible to those living in urban areas, or anyone without access to arable land. Our research has taken us on a journey, deep underground, into the realms of the fungal kingdom….to a vast and interconnected web of information, the mycorrhizal network. This fungal network constantly surround us and plays a critical role within almost all ecosystems, keeping creating nutrient systems intact. With this in mind, we’ve designed and are currently prototyping a mycelial tube and planter system, testing the most effective way to distribute nutrients through the network, as well as the potential for this to be applied to pre existing architectural structures, and implemented into the urban environments of the future. Connecting neighbouring gardens to one and other through a series of simple organic tubular connections. Sharing nutrients, sunlight, and rainwater equally, forming elusive but ubiquitous symbiosis with all plant species in the system.