Elephant Skin Texture Fungi Tiles to Cool Buildings

The construction industry accounts for nearly 40 percent of all energy-related emissions. Eco-friendly alternatives like these sustainable, passive cooling tiles could significantly reduce this environmental impact.

Credit: NTU Singapore

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have created a promising new product to help reduce energy consumption in buildings. The research team have invented special fungi tiles with an elephant skin-like texture that can naturally cool buildings without using electricity or other energy sources.

The tiles are made from a biomaterial that combines mycelium, the root network of fungi, with organic waste. Intriguingly, the researchers then gave the tiles a bumpy, wrinkly texture like elephant skin. Since these pachyderms don't have sweat glands (except for a few around their toenails), they rely in part on their skin wrinkles to help regulate their body temperature, so the researchers applied an elephant's natural cooling mechanism to their fungi tiles - with impressive results.

Laboratory tests showed that the elephant skin-inspired fungi tiles cooled 25 percent faster than flat mycelium tiles. The textured tiles also heated up more slowly. Most remarkably, the cooling effect improved by an additional 70 percent in simulated rainy conditions - therefore making them especially suitable for tropical climates.

The study, published in the journal Energy & Buildings, represents an important step toward more sustainable building practices, and Associate Professor Hortense Le Ferrand, who led the study, highlighted the potential of these fungi tiles as a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials. “Insulation materials are increasingly integrated into building walls to enhance energy efficiency, but these are mostly synthetic and come with environmental consequences throughout their life cycle,” she explained.

Combining natural materials, biomimicry principles, and passive cooling technology demonstrates how learning from nature can help solve modern environmental challenges.

As cities worldwide seek solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, innovations like these fungi tiles could significantly contribute to creating more environmentally friendly urban environments.

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