How to re-think architecture in a world of finite resources? The Belgian Pavilion responds to this issue by identifying an alternative to the mining paradigm: using organic building materials that can be found in our cities. The installation is a spectacular timber frame clad in mycelium (the vegetative body of fungi) panels that sits on a pressed soil foundation left after excavation works. The exhibit offers visitors a tactile and acoustic experience. Soil, mycelium, and timber – all coming from the urban area of Brussels – prove just how sustainable this in vivo process can be.
