Visibuilt: Transforming organic waste into building materials

Cultivating new materials for sustainable city paving

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With the built environment responsible for nearly 34% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions, there is a growing need to rethink how we design and construct our cities.* Here, Visibuilt is opening a new chapter in material innovation. The company has created the world’s first cultivated binder for outdoor paving materials, grown with mycelium and developed through low-temperature processes and waste streams. Through a design-led development process that bridges material research and practical use, their product, visiPAVER, is now part of Copenhagen’s visionary neighbourhood, Fælledby, bringing a biologically grown material into urban use.

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The project demonstrates how material research can be stabilised, tested, and prepared for real-world application. The binder used in the tiles is grown rather than extracted. It contains no fossil components and relies on fungi’s natural ability to bind and strengthen organic matter.

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Through iterative testing and material calibration, Visibuilt has turned biological processes into construction material that meets functional and technical demands. This shift means that paved surfaces no longer must be made from conventional, resource-heavy materials. Visibuilt’s solution points towards a future where cities can build long-lasting infrastructure through purposefully designed, regenerative processes.

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*UN Environment Programme

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