JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – “Grass” huts aren’t just for topical islands anymore. As developers look for greener building solutions, interest in hemp as a practical alternative to traditional building materials is growing. Hemp can be used in concrete-like forms, such as hempcrete, a mixture of lime, hemp fibers, and a chemical binder, or in block form, which pave the way to the so-called hempcrete homes.
“There is a new focus on hemp in the United States; there is a tremendous opportunity,” said Petros Sideris, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Texas A&M University, which just received a $3.74 million federal grant to evaluate its potential. The Department of Energy will study and create 3-D printed hemp housing. The entire supply chain, from hemp cultivation to its application in building, is being researched.
Rope, textiles, and biodiesel are just a few industrial construction items that already contain hemp. However, exorbitant costs and a weak supply chain make hemp house construction difficult. Additionally, supporters must get beyond public opposition to a product frequently wrongly linked to recreational drug usage.
According to hemp supporters, builders and legislators look for various environmental benefits to create a carbon-neutral product resistant to fire, mold, and the elements. Because there are no cement seams or drying times like regular concrete blocks, a building with ready-to-use hemp blocks can be finished 20% to 30% faster than the average manufacturing schedule.
But its persistent reputation as a counterculture drug has slowed hemp’s popularity in the hemp housing construction industry. Rachel Berry is experimenting with cultivating hemp fibers on her barren Illinois farm. She concentrates on the plant itself and develops a viable supply chain from there as the creator of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association.
Growers, processors, manufacturers, and businesses employing hemp are just a few of the numerous moving elements, according to Berry. However, the first step is piquing farmers’ interest, and the link between hemp and cannabis may turn them off. “The stigma of cannabis still looms here,” she said.
Today, builders, researchers, and even hemp growers keep an eye on hemp’s advancements as it gains popularity in other nations–not just about a house of hemp but in many other community sectors. Indeed, it’s a plant-based miracle for everyone, especially for Potheads thinking about their ideal homes.
Here’s more information on the topic:
In Search for Sustainable Materials, Developers Turn to Hemp
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/business/hemp-construction-buildings.html
A Building Made From Cannabis? Yes, Seriously – With Hempcrete
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/building-made-cannabis-yes-seriously-hempcrete/324521/
This House Made of Cannabis Is Eco-Friendly and Beautiful
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/house-made-of-cannabis-eco-friendly-beautiful
Cannabis Construction: Entrepreneurs Using Hemp for Home-Building
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/nyregion/cannabis-construction-entrepreneurs-use-hemp-in-home-building.html
