BEYOND SURVIVAL: THE LABORATORY FOR HOPE

The project follows the speculative narrative of Berry, a Future Ghost, who returns to the present to warn people of a potential nuclear war threatening Palermo. Berry’s mission is to help people survive after catastrophe, setting out to teach people to look for new food sources and building materials that thrive under these conditions. According to scientific research, fungi would likely play a crucial role in this respect. Thus, Berry’s building showcases innovative ways of using mycelium as both a food source and construction material, aiming to teach people how to deal with destruction, preparing them for extreme situations that force us to look for alternative solutions. The building is a hybrid cathedral-laboratory museum. The cathedral reflects the religious culture of Palermo; it provides the community with a sacred space meant to help support their morale and faith. By including a laboratory area that can accommodate all the processes involved in the mycelium making and mushroom cultivation, the project strives to also offer a concrete solution for how people’s wishes of rebuilding their lives could be materialised. The museum area is facilitated to expose people to the potential conditions of an extreme future, acting as a spatial warning device. Three distinct typologies merge into the project to create an innovation hub. The building not only makes people aware of potential dangers but actively urges them to learn about the benefits and uses of mycelium, which can shift the direction of our built environment.