Sustainable Building Materials

The process of building a home can be daunting: decisions of siting, materials, assemblies, finishes, systems, code and permitting compliance are all critical considerations. Each of these levers affect the other, so having a good working understanding of each is crucial to optimum design and construction.

Whole Systems Thinking in Buildings

At HempStone, we focus on building healthy, high-performance, natural buildings with the most robust, sustainable, locally-sourced materials available. We do this by taking a whole systems approach to build the best building possible.

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.

No one material works in all locations, and thus, we like to recommend what we lovingly refer to as a Palette of Natural Building materials that complement on another throughout a building assembly.

What is a Natural Material?

Natural Materials are any material or product that comes from plants, animals (biogenic), or the ground (inorganic) in a process of simple extraction.

Biogenic Materials

  • Wood (bamboo, cork, cellulose)

  • Fiber (hemp, wool, jute, kenaf)

Inorganic Materials

  • Stone (limestone, sand, glass)

  • Native metals (copper, iron)

  • Earth elements (clay, soil)

Understanding a Materials Palette

Natural materials work together harmoniously to create a healthy, vapor-active system of high-performing assemblies. To achieve maximum benefit and superior results, we advocate the use of natural building materials throughout a building assembly to compound the carbon benefiting properties of each material or product, to achieve a radically responsible building.

An important part of radical responsibility comes from the responsible use of natural materials. We design efficiently, plan carefully, and reduce waste throughout the construction process - starting with material sourcing and continuing throughout construction. We priortize the use of local, sustainable, equitably sourced materials and advocate for the equitable access of these materials to the public.

Our NATURAL MATERIALS SOURCING AND SUPPLY RESOURCE GUIDE provides you with access to our full complement of natural materials for healthy, vapor-active, robust construction. Download our Guide now, and start using it today!

materials, supply, spotlightJennifer MartinComment