Bob Escher, AIA and Jennifer Martin invite architects throughout AIA to radically turn the tide on carbon in the built environment and introduce hempcrete as a high-performance building material that is carbon positive.
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Certainly, growing cellulostic materials locally, in a regenerative manner, is the best resolution to achieve the lowest carbon footprint of any construction material.
Then how is it that hemp, largely imported from Europe, is lauded by embodied carbon experts as a top sustainable material?
The answer may surprise you!
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For those new to hempcrete, there are some compelling reasons to consider this biocomposite over other construction materials and methods.
Hempcrete is a high-performance construction material that gives occupants a healthy, beautiful, and comfortable environment.
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Although hempcrete shares some characteristics to modern concrete (commonly referred to as a portland cement binder with stone aggregate), there are important differences that make hempcrete such a valuable and interesting bio-based building material.
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Everyone wants to know where to source their hemp - it’s the conversation we find ourselves addressing most often! In this post, we give you the information you need to know what to look for in terms of hemp materials sourcing, and where to go to get it.
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It’s fall, and construction continues on the 1st hempcrete house in Massachusetts. HempStone was asked to showcase this home for the US Hemp Building Summit, to serve as this years’ premiere example of a healthy, carbon-beneficial single-family home in the US. Join us for an 11 minute on-site immersion into radical responsibility.
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There are many types of lime, each which has an appropriate use. The purity of lime in a plaster affects its characteristics. Some limes are more ductile and some limes are better at resisting erosion. Cure times vary, which have impacts on construction scheduling. Follow our journey on lime plaster selection for our lime plaster house in Goshen, MA.
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At the Howland Hemp House in Goshen, Massachusetts, we achieved a better-than-zero carbon emissions building by aggressively pursuing a full palette of natural building materials. We share the numbers on this net carbon-beneficial footprint structure.
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Few building materials leave you in suspense for the big reveal the way that lime plaster does! Catalyst explains why this house is shrouded in canvas and burlap, and when you should expect the BIG REVEAL!
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Lime plaster is simple to apply and a joy to work with. Widely available around the world, lime is a natural solution as a healthy, clean, and robust wall finish.
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Catalyst enjoys a bit of a love affair with lime plaster. Easy to make, simple to use, healthy and enduring, there is a lot to love about this timeless material. For the next several weeks, HempStone will immerse you into the joyful world of lime plaster.
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Hempcrete Frequently Asked Questions: A HempStone Primer into this natural, resilient, carbon-beneficial material.
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While plaster accessories may not seem exciting to discuss in a natural building assembly, these details provide a robust foundation for long-term durability, air tightness details, and a clean drip edge for water to safely shed off the building. Good design here translates to a building that will survive whatever weather comes their way.
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Embodied carbon is all the rage at the moment among leading edge designers and builders. Yet the stumbling block tends to be foundations. Carbon-beneficial buildings must include carbon-conscious foundations. In this article, we offer a typical assembly and material sourcing and supply options to develop carbon-conscious foundation solutions.
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Materials, and how they combine to create assemblies, are a fundamental aspect of holistic design and robust construction. We advocate for sustainably sourced, local and regional materials that are appropriate for your building site and climate. Our Natural Materials Sourcing and Supply Resource Guide illustrates a comprehensive palette of natural materials for use throughout a building assembly.
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In this Ask the Expert series, HempStone engages in some primary research to asnwer the question: Are high performance tapes appropriate for hempcrete assemblies, and if so, in which conditions? In the process of answering this question, we provide the building science you need to know to follow us on this journey.
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Known for its acoustic value, this natural building material has a bonus ability to readily accept lime and clay plasters as part of a complete vapor active assembly. Combined with hempcrete and plaster, this offers a seamlessly consistent interior finish. What’s not to love?
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Cob construction is about to become part of the 2021 International Residential Building Code. This is an exciting time for local, natural materials.
Hempcrete aspires to join the ranks of strawbale, light straw-clay, and now cob as a legitimate natural building material throughout the US and beyond.
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Sustainability is a buzzword in the construction industry, but what does it really mean? More importantly, how do you know what is sustainable, and what has been green-washed? We explore ways to frame your thinking on sustainable materials and offer insights to choose sustainable materials efficiently and effectively.
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An image problem, that is.
The term hempcrete conjurs some misconceptions and concerns. In this post we explore these challenges and address how to overcome them.
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