Hack the Root by Mae-ling Lokko at RIBA North as part of Liverpool Biennial 2018

Mae-ling Lokko's practice centres on the upcycling of agro-waste and biopolymer materials into 'high' performance building material systems. 

For her exhibition at RIBA North she has built an architectural structure in the gallery that is grown from agrowaste-fed mycelium (mushroom) panels.

Within the gallery, a large-scale grow chamber has been erected in which the modular biomaterial building panels are growing. Lokko involved a number of community groups and school children in workshops, giving them the opportunity to create the building panels that have been used to build the architectural structure.



As well as being able to see the growing of the building panels along with the fully formed growing panels, an accompanying film explores the prototyping of these unique tiles. The film also acts as a way to help viewers understand the project’s proposition for generative upcycling economies.