Prize(s) Winners in Ambient Lighting
University / School Name School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney
Lead Designers Fangjing Dong, Jingqi Huang, Le Yue
Professor Names Phillip Gough, Fansong Zhou, Wenye Hu
Photo Credits Fansong Zhou, Fangjing Dong, Jingqi Huang, Le Yue
Completion Date 08/08/2025
Project Location Sydney, Australia
Entry Description‘Mucolume|Lumend’ is an ambient pendant lighting series that transforms fracture into form and breakage into beauty. Rooted in a philosophy of care over concealment, it embraces imperfections as sources of meaning and light.
Each piece is formed from mycelium, a compostable and regenerative material cultivated through controlled growth. Fractures are treated using sodium alginate, a seaweed-based biopolymer applied through adaptive processes that follow the contours of the break. These translucent mends reinforce the structure while allowing its story to remain visible. As light moves through the seams, the repaired areas emit a soft glow. Shadows settle into the textures, and the illumination reflects not perfection but process. The break becomes part of the story, and the repair becomes the design.
‘Mucolume|Lumend’ offers ambient, emotionally resonant lighting for homes, cafés, wellness spaces, and boutique interiors. Its soft glow creates a calming atmosphere, while the lightweight pendant form allows for easy installation. Made from sustainable materials, it speaks to users who value ecological design and objects with visible stories.
This is more than a pendant light. It is a sculptural reflection of presence, care, and quiet resilience—an illumination shaped not by flawlessness, but by the strength of what has been tended.
Sustainability Approach‘Mycolume | Lumend’ reimagines lighting design with a first-of-its-kind luminaire made wholly from biomaterials. Using 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, renewable resources—primarily mycelium and sodium alginate—it adopts a regenerative, low-impact approach.
Mycelium, grown on agricultural waste, forms a lightweight yet stable shell with natural fire resistance and insulation, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic composites. Sodium alginate, a seaweed-derived biopolymer, creates translucent, flexible repair patches, crosslinked with calcium and tinted with food-safe pigments. Shaped by low-impact methods such as air drying and reusable molds, the luminaire is designed for long-term interior use yet remains fully biodegradable, returning safely to nature at the end of life.
‘Mycolume | Lumend’ embodies circular design, uniting ecological responsibility with material storytelling
