Biodegradation in Design Process: Digital Building Catalog for Bio-Inspired Design Proposals

Abstract

Through the incorporation of fungal biodegradation processes into architectural design, a novel approach to sustainability is possible, which goes beyond the selection of materials and growth processes and enables insights from natural decomposition. While biodegradable materials are increasingly studied, the potential of biodegradation itself to shape design remains largely unexplored. Although the biodegradation process is seen as the final stage of design, the existing knowledge of structural deformation in nature could be an inspiration for the design process in the early stages. This study analyzes the structural transformations of five fungal species during biodegradation in mesh-like frameworks as a basis for future research. This research involves a literature review, experimental analysis, and digital catalog development, resulting in MyCo-Design, a platform that documents species-specific biodegradation data. Structural changes such as shrinkage, curvature, stiffness reduction, and volume decrease were captured through photography and 3D scanning techniques, providing a resource for bio-inspired designs. MyCo-Design platform provides designers with information by species, structural forms, and degradation parameters to use as inspiration in the early stages of their design process. This platform features an AI-powered interface component that enables users to generate visuals based on design prompts inspired by experimental observation data. During the testing process, the platform showed potential in inspiring structural solutions based on biodegradation observation. The findings of the study highlight the potential to generate circular inspiration in the early stages of design through a tool created at the intersection of nature, humans, and artificial intelligence. © 2025, Education and research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe. All rights reserved.