A New York-based company isn’t in the business of building houses; rather it is in the business of growing them.

Ecovative uses mycelium (mushroom roots) to bond together agricultural byproducts like corn stalks into a material that it has been selling as an alternative to plastic foam, including styrofoam and other packaging materials.

Now, Ecovative has branched out, and is using the mushroom material as a type of self-growing insulation. Essentially, Mushroom® Insulation grows into wood forms over a number of days, forming an airtight seal, before drying over the following month or so, leaving an extremely strong, eco-friendly, airtight wall.

The insulation is safe to touch, and can be installed without any safety gear. It can be sandwiched between engineered wood panels, without the need for any adhesives; the mycelium of the growing material naturally bonds itself to the wood.

More at ecovativedesign.com.