Hemp has been used for centuries for everything from textiles to food to medicine. It can also be mixed with lime to create panels and bricks, and today it is increasingly seen as a sustainable building material. The use of hemp for building can help you achieve your carbon neutral, healthy building goals. The advantages of hemp-based materials are many.
Escher’s Hemp for Building project
Escher’s hemp for building project is a first for Colorado. In October 2017, he and his team completed the first hempcrete building in the state’s capital. Hemp, the cousin of marijuana, is a renewable resource that can be used for construction. Escher says his son introduced him to industrial hemp in 2017.
Hempcrete is an eco-friendly, sustainable building material that is already being used in many cities. Bob Escher has been an architect for 30 years and founded his own firm, Escher Design, in 1988. He strives to bring his clients’ vision to life through innovation, design, and attention to detail. After his son Alex introduced him to hempcrete, Bob and his team developed a proprietary hemp wall system and completed the first hempcrete structure in Denver, Colorado. He also served as the first president of the United States Hemp Building Association.
Hempcrete can be manufactured into preformed blocks, which are lighter than traditional masonry materials. In addition, hempwool insulation batts, sourced from Canada, use industrial hemp fiber instead of fiberglass. The materials are lightweight and can be installed with bare hands, whereas other insulation materials require full-body hazmat suits, gloves, and respirators.
In addition to experimenting with hemp as a building material, Alex Escher has also served as the northeast regional leader of the US Hemp Building Association. He is also a member of the American Society for Testing and Materials, where he serves on the supply chain, education, and certification committees. His team is working to create a comprehensive set of ASTM standards to guide the hemp building industry.
Hempcrete is an eco-friendly biocomposite material made of the woody core of hemp plant and a lime-based binder. The hemp-based construction material is widely trusted around the world and entered the US market a decade ago. It is fireproof, pest and mold-resistant, and passively regulates internal moisture levels.
Environmental benefits
There are several reasons why hemp is an environmentally friendly building material. Its fibers are low in toxins, long-lasting, and recyclable. It also helps keep buildings warm in the winter and cool in the summer, which reduces energy requirements and utility bills. Hemp is also an excellent insulator, which makes it a great choice for homes, buildings, and other structures.
Another benefit of hemp for building is that it is carbon negative. This means that it locks up CO2 during its growth process. Additionally, hemp is a rapidly renewable crop, and it grows at an impressive rate under proper crop management. This means that hempcrete is a great option for buildings. Not only does hempcrete lock up carbon, but it also reabsorbs carbon dioxide from the air as it sets. Hempcrete buildings are among the longest-lived examples of applied carbon sequestration.
Using hemp for building is a great choice for homeowners who are concerned about the environment. It can provide many benefits that conventional building materials do not have. For instance, hempcrete is seven times lighter than conventional concrete and is completely breathable. Additionally, hempcrete is also mold and pest resistant. It can also be used to create bricks.
Another benefit of hemp is that it can replenish itself year after year, reducing the need for other natural resources used in building. It also requires little water for growth, so hemp is a very low-maintenance crop. Additionally, hemp is easily available all over the world, which makes it a dependable source of raw materials. This reduces the need for petroleum-based building materials and helps conserve forests.
Hemp can also be used to produce biodegradable plastics. In addition, hemp is a powerful carbon sequestration tool. Whether you’re building a home, a school, or a factory, hemp is a great choice. Hemp is an excellent building material, and its seeds are nutritious and contain essential nutrients. It also helps improve soil fertility for other crops.
Another important benefit of using hemp is its recyclability. Many products can’t be recycled, such as fiberglass and plastic, but hemp pulp can. This means that it can be added to paper or plastic that can be recycled many times, extending the life of the plastics and improving the overall recycling rate. Further, hemp can be used as a substitute for timber.
Hempcrete can also help reduce carbon emissions and create a more sustainable building material. In fact, it’s estimated that each cubic metre of hempcrete can lock up 5.5 tonnes of carbon in its lifetime. This is significant, considering that a standard new house wall would emit over 48 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
Another benefit of hemp is that it’s an effective rotation crop. According to some studies, hemp could generate more profits per acre than many other crops, including corn. Hemp also doesn’t require heavy fertilization, and it needs only half the amount of nitrogen that corn needs. It’s also very fast-growing and environmentally friendly.
Cost
The cost of hemp for building can be more expensive than conventional materials such as wood or concrete. However, there is a segment of the homeowner market that is willing to pay more for sustainable building materials. Many of these people expect to save money on energy costs and want to be ahead of the curve. This group is also looking to make their house cool and trendy.
Hemp construction has several benefits compared to other building materials. It has a low carbon footprint, an increased thermal performance, and a better indoor air quality. It also offers several applications in the building industry. Hemp woody pulp, for instance, is a great alternative to wood. Hemp pulp mixed with lime and water makes a great alternative to fiberglass insulation. Prince Charles even built an entire house from hemp, called the Natural House. This home is heated by one wood stove.
Another benefit of using hemp for building is that it is fire resistant. A home built with hempcrete is likely to save a house from an annual fire. Another benefit is that hemp grows faster than trees and can be harvested in a year. This means that the cost of building with hemp is much lower than that of a wood-framed home.
Unfortunately, there are few hemp farmers in the United States who grow hemp specifically for building. Most farmers grow hemp for food, bioplastics, and CBD. Hemp for building is not a viable alternative for many farmers. A farmer needs reliable customers, economies of scale, and access to a processing center to make a profit. This means that most hempcrete builders must import their product from another country.
While hempcrete is still a niche option, it is likely to make its way into more mainstream construction projects. Hemp has been used in European construction for over 30 years. The new Joe Biden administration has focused on more energy-efficient buildings, and hemp might become a prominent part of that conversation.
A large housing project in Europe could help the hemp building industry grow. The European Industrial Hemp Association and the U.S. Hemp Building Association are two organizations that are trying to make hemp construction a mainstream industry. While the price of hemp for building is higher than other materials, it is far superior in energy performance. In the meantime, industrial hemp hubs are forming in countries like Poland, Lithuania, and the U.S. and more hemp companies are innovating new products and technologies.
Hemp is naturally mold and fire-resistant. It is also a bio-based product and is carbon neutral. In addition, hemp can be produced locally, which helps to revitalize rural economies. It is also a renewable resource that can help accelerate the sustainable building industry.
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