01 — Statement
Materials grown from biology, engineered for construction.
NUMU's proprietary material system uses mycelium — nature's binding network — to transform regional agricultural waste into construction-grade systems. Instead of relying on synthetic foams or mineral fibers, performance is grown directly into the material.
Its structure can be tuned during growth for density, porosity, and application, enabling one core platform to evolve across acoustic panels, insulation, and molded protective forms. The result is a new category of material designed for local production, circularity, and architectural use.
Material in motion
02 — The Material
Biofoam — grown, not manufactured.
Biofoam is NUMU's core material system — a grown composite where mycelium acts as a natural binding network around regional plant fibers and agricultural residues.
The result is a rigid, lightweight panel that absorbs sound, resists moisture, and reaches end-of-life without leaving synthetic residue. No binders. No petroleum. No waste.
Because performance is engineered into the growth process itself, properties can be tuned per application — from dense acoustic cores to open-celled thermal matrices.
Substrate inputs — regional agricultural residues
Palm leaf fibre
Plant fibre blend
The Platform
One material platform, many applications.
NUMU begins with acoustic panels as the first commercial application, while thermal systems and protective packaging extend the platform into broader construction and industrial use.
Acoustic
Bio-engineered acoustic panels replacing PET, mineral wool, and PU foam in interior fit-outs. First certified product.
Thermal
Passive insulation systems grown from palm fibre and mycelium, designed for hot-climate wall assemblies.
Packaging
Molded protective packaging grown into shape — an alternative to petroleum-based foam for logistics and shipping.
Product — FOLD
FOLD
FOLD is NUMU's first product — a modular acoustic panel system grown from bio-based material and designed for interior architecture. It translates the material platform into a real, specification-ready object: tactile, scalable, and visually distinctive.
Fold takes its name from the forces that shape it — the movement of fabric, the softness of drapery, and the way wind carves folds into sand and dunes. The result is a modular acoustic surface that feels both natural and architectural.
Applications — Thermal
Bio-based thermal systems.
NUMU materials can be integrated within wall assemblies to provide passive thermal performance. The porous structure of the material enables insulation while remaining breathable.
Designed for hot climates, the system supports reduced energy demand and improved indoor comfort without synthetic foams.
Currently in development — NUMU material platform
Applications — Packaging
Molded protection, grown not manufactured.
NUMU materials can be shaped into protective packaging forms, offering a compostable alternative to petroleum-based foams.
Each piece is grown into shape, reducing waste while maintaining shock absorption and structural integrity.
Scalable application — logistics and product protection
04 — Process
Grown, not manufactured.
01
Raw Fiber
02
Inoculation
03
Growth
04
Shaping
05
Final Material
Production
Inside the NUMU production lab, Dubai. Mycelium grown from regional agricultural waste into construction-grade material.
Click to pause
Installations
Two installations. Real conditions.
Photo coming soon
Netherlands — 2022
Beyond Chrysant
Photo coming soon
Dubai, UAE — 2025
KAVE
06 — Founder
Built by 7 years of hands-on industrialization.
NUMU was founded by Andy Cartier — a mycelium industrialization specialist who has spent 7 years compressing the learning curve from lab to production across Europe and the Middle East. Two real-world installations. An operational production lab in Dubai. This isn't research — it's execution.
Founder & Mycelium Industrialization Specialist
