In a country grappling with a severe housing shortage and an invasive plant crisis, a group of innovators is turning waste into wonder. MycoHab, a research group, is pioneering a radical approach to construction by using oyster mushrooms and encroacher bush to create eco-friendly building blocks.
“People often assume that a house made from natural materials would smell, but our mycoblocks are completely odourless,” says Kristine Haukongo, the senior cultivator at MycoHab. The process involves cultivating oyster mushrooms on chopped-down encroacher bush, a plant that is rapidly colonising Namibia’s precious grazing land. Once the mushrooms have done their job, the leftover biomass is compressed and baked into sturdy, brown slabs.
The concept is a marriage of necessity and ingenuity. Namibia is facing a housing crisis, with nearly half a million homes needed to meet demand. Meanwhile, the encroacher bush is wreaking havoc on the environment, displacing native vegetation and depleting groundwater. The Namibian government’s current plan to burn the bush to produce charcoal is a costly and environmentally damaging solution.
“We wanted to find a way to address both the housing shortage and the encroacher bush problem,” says Magreth Mengo, head of brand and marketing at Standard Bank, a partner in the project. “MycoHab is a game-changer.”
The first MycoHab house is already standing, a testament to the potential of this innovative approach. While challenges remain, such as the cost of transporting the blocks and securing buy-in from potential homeowners, the project has captured the imagination of many.
Heinrich Amushila, co-director of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, is enthusiastic about the project but cautions that affordability is key. “The blocks are fantastic, but we need to find ways to make them accessible to low-income families,” he says.
The Namibian government is also supportive of the initiative. “We encourage such innovations,” says Romeo Muyunda, a spokesperson for the ministry of environment, forestry and tourism. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
As the world grapples with climate change and resource scarcity, projects like MycoHab offer a glimmer of hope. By transforming waste into valuable building materials, this Namibian initiative could become a blueprint for sustainable development in other parts of the world.