Eco-Friendly, Low-Maintenance Living Brick System for Sustainable Architecture

A portable pot-like brick cassette encasing mycorrhizal fungi and alfalfa to promote plant growth and carbon sequestration.
Problem:
The building sector contributes approximately 40% of global carbon emissions related to energy use. Green walls have gained popularity as a carbon offsetting strategy due to their ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere via plant photosynthesis. However, existing green building envelope methods often involve resource-intensive construction, relying on unsustainable materials, high energy expenditure, and costly maintenance.
Solution:
SimbioBrick is a versatile living system that harnesses plant-fungi symbiosis to support bio-receptive architecture or create outdoor flooring that paves walkways while offsetting building carbon emissions. It features a biologically driven modular design, produces indoor and outdoor oxygen, continuously sequesters carbon, retains water for self-irrigation, and aids in soil bioremediation. This scalable solution offers enormous potential for sustainable environmental remediation.
Technology:
SimbioBrick is a portable, multifunctional system that supports nutrient cycling by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) while preserving its symbiotic relationship with alfalfa, the host plant. It contains fungal spores, seeds, water, and nutrient-storing hydrogels emulating wet soils.

Constructed from 3D-printed clay bricks, the outer structure provides support and exposure to sunlight for photosynthesis, while the inner structure offers depth for fungal colonization, porosity, and sufficient drainage. The porous brick design enhances water retention and facilitates the expansion of AMF networks. The biologically driven geometry creates a habitable space for plant-fungi symbiosis while controlling moisture and sunlight exposure. The growing medium includes mycorrhizal inoculant and a nutrient solution-hydrated super absorbent polymer, enhanced with perlite for improved air permeability and root rot prevention.
Advantages:

• The system requires minimal maintenance, including self-irrigation, and avoids the use of non-recyclable materials
• The system captures greater amounts of carbon through accelerated plant photosynthesis when deployed in urban settings
• The brick’s interlocking geometry enables self-support without additional materials

Stage of Development:

• Concept
• Proof of Concept
• Bench Prototype 

Biological behavior-driven SimbioBrick living brick system that captures carbon by enhancing plant-fungi symbiotic association. A 3D-printed clay cassette includes a sufficient watering system and porous surfaces for drainage and ventilation, allowing plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi to expand throughout the structure. This figure was obtained from Figure 3 in the paper titled “SimbioBrick: Carbon Sequestering Living Bricks by Fungi-Plant Symbiosis” in the Reference Media link below.
Intellectual Property:

• In Preparation

Reference Media:

• Bae, J.Y. et al., Scalable Disruptors, 2024 Aug 30; DMS 2024, Springer: 372
• UPenn Environmental Innovations Initiative, 2024 Apr 30, "Fungi on the Front Lines Against Environmental Injustice"

Desired Partnerships:

• License
• Co-development

Docket #24-10853