Hemp Building Materials to Take the Stage at Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference, Bozeman

sustainable constructionBuilding regulationsInnovationEco tourismTrade ShowsConferencesRenovationResearchEvent

Jul 30

Written By Jean Lotus

*Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference goers pose for a group photo at the 2021 conference. Photo courtesy of Natural Building Alliance*

Hemp Building Materials to Take the Stage at Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference, Bozeman

By Jean Lotus

Hemp building materials will take a prominent place at the Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference Bozeman Sept. 18-20. Hemp will take the podium along with cob, straw bale, passive house, natural plaster and other natural building technologies, at the Colorado-based Natural Building Alliance's biennial conference held since 2003.
Sign up for our free newsletter

Americhanvre

South Bend Industrial Hemp

Hillside Center for Sustainable Living

Sativa Building Systems

CannaVision

US Heritage Group

Right Coast Hemp

Gradek Contracting and Design

This year’s theme, "Resilience," highlights the critical role of natural building methods in creating durable, healthy and climate resistant sound structures for the future.

“We are especially excited to boost hempcrete as a resilient building material to boost local economies,” Matt Marino, co-founder and president of Bismarck, ND-based Homeland Hempcrete messaged HempBuild Mag.

Marino’s presentation, “Challenges and Rewards In Building a Circular Economy,” will trace his company’s efforts to build a local supply chain. “We have been on a journey to localize our building materials for our builds and want to share more about the journey,” Marino added.

Homeland Hempcrete

Verdant Structural Engineers

Boardwurks

Aggricrete

*Bismarck, ND-based Homeland Hempcrete co-founders Matt and Sam Marino demonstrate their hempcrete “SHIP” panels at Greenbuild 2024 in Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Ray Kaderli*

Gregory Wilson, founder of Murray, KY-based HempWood, will discuss the challenges and successes of introducing a natural building material into the broader construction materials market. Wilson’s presentation “Homegrown Solutions – Building a Regenerative Materials Economy in the Age of Imports” will address how natural building manufacturers can take on the status quo of cheap, plastic-based building materials in the market.

“It’s an honor to be invited to speak to the Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference,” Wilson messaged HempBuild Mag. “I have been following their work for years and am proud to share what we have been doing at HempWood for the last decade.”

Hemp builder and architect SC-based April Magill from Charleston-based Root Down Building Collective will discuss the motivations that drew her to natural building, the barriers she’s overcome as a woman in a male-dominated field, and what’s needed to grow a more inclusive, resilient future for the movement.

The conference includes a free Bozeman Community Night Thursday Sept. 18 with table-top displays from architecture students at Montana State University and more. Students also receive a discount admission of $50. Attendees at the conference can sign up to present a “5 x 5” presentation (five minutes, five slides). Admission to the conference includes a free one-year membership to the Natural Buiding Alliance. Many of the presentations will qualify for AIA-CEU continuing education credits.

Keynotes for the conference will include:

Kritika Kharbanda, Henning Larsen Architects Head of Sustainability, NYC – “Scaling Up Material Innovation”
David Arkin & Anni Tilt, Arkin Tilt Architects, Berkeley CA – “Local and Resilient: Bio-Based Building in High Risk Fire Zones”
Ace McArleton (New Frameworks, VT) and James Kitchin, (Mass Group, Bozeman) co-founders of the Bio-Based Materials Collective - “Beyond Resilience: Opportunities for Healing and Abundance”

Aaron Grail Construction

IND HEMP

Hemp Building Directory 2025

HempBLOCK USA

*Greg Wilson, founder of Murray, KY-based HempWood poses at the New Jersey Home and Garden Show. Photo courtesy of Instagram*

Two hemp-focused workshops will take place at the conference, including a “Hempesium” workshop from Blanco,TX-based Jennifer Bailey of the Saoirse Learning Center. Bailey uses a Magnesium Oxide binder to build quick-setting wall assemblies for plant-based walls, using natural fibers including bamboo and hemp. Chi Umano of the Northeast Hemp Carbonization Initiative will present a workshop on hemp biochar as a building material.

*April Magill, AIA of Charleston, SC-based Root Down Building Collective will be speaking at the Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference. Photo courtesy of April Magill*

*Hemp and Magnesium Oxide are used to build domes like this one at the Blanco-TX-based Saiorse Learning Center. Photo courtesy Saiorse Learning Center*

Parsons Healthy Materials Lab

Hemp Building Institute

Hempitecture

Hempire

Additionally, some of the West Coast, Montana and Idaho-based familiar hemp building companies will be sponsoring, including Hempitecture, Inc. and Fort Benton, MT-based IND HEMP, along with natural building engineering company Berkeley-based Verdant Structural Engineers.
Join our FREE online community here

Chris Magwood of RMI’s Carbon Free Buildings division and founder of Builders for Climate Action will be presenting at the Rocky Mountain Natural Building conference in Bozeman, Sept. 18-20. Photo courtesy of Chris Magwood

Bison Biocomposites

Wyoming Hemp Co

High Desert Hemp Homes

Pink Hats Construction

Finally, the conference will conclude with a pep talk from hemp-building and natural building pioneer Canadian Chris Magwood, of head of RMI’s Carbon Free Buildings division and founder of Builders for Climate Action. Magwood’s presentation, “Resilient Humans, Resilient Organizations” promises to be a pep talk for the practitioners in the natural building industry.

“Bending the arc toward a world full of healthy, ecologically responsible buildings is a long game, and we need resilient people and resilient organizations for our work to grow in scope and scale,” Magwood writes.

"The 2025 Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference is more than just a gathering; it's a pivotal moment for the construction community to embrace 'Resilience' through innovative building”, said Fort Collins, CO-based David Kaplan, president of the Natural Building Alliance in a statement.

"We believe that by focusing on bio-based, non-toxic, and low-carbon methods, we are not only constructing buildings but also fortifying our future against environmental challenges. The Bozeman Community Night is particularly exciting, as it allows us to open our doors to everyone, from curious neighbors to aspiring students, demonstrating that sustainable building is accessible and beneficial for all."