HempBuild Magazine: News About the Hemp Building Industry
How Can Hemp Help Sick Building Syndrome?
We spend almost 90% of our time indoors so it’s important to have toxin-free healthy air. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the result of air-tight buildings with poor air circulation.
Hemp-Lime Finalist in 'Coolest Thing in Colorado' Contest
Hemp-lime insulation from The Hemp Building Company is among the Top 10 finalists in the “Coolest Thing in Colorado” contest, and hemp needs YOUR VOTE online.
Hemp and Magnesium Oxide Workshop in Texas
Texas workshop participants this fall will get to test a new handcast building method with hemp and Magnesium Oxide, a combination that builds a cement-like wall infill structure that’s stronger than concrete, organizers say. Magnesium Oxide works like lime to create a vapor-permeable wall assembly, one of the advantages of a hemp-based building.
Hempcrete Approved for US Residential Building Codes
Hemp building materials were officially approved in the model US residential building code at a Louisville, KY public hearing overseen by the International Code Council (ICC) last week.
Pre-Fab Hempcrete Construction Materials to be Showcased at French Conference
Pre-fabricated hemp building solutions will get special attention at this year’s 10th edition of the International Hemp Building Symposium, set for Lacapelle Marival, France, Oct. 11-12, 2022.
Margaret Atwood Event to Feature Hempcrete
Hemp building materials and ecological construction will be presented as part of best-selling Canadian author Margaret Atwood's yearly 8-week seminar "Practical Utopias: An Exploration of the Possible."
Review: Hemp Buildings: 50 International Case Studies by Steve Allin
A labor of love and a love of the labor involved, this book is a magnum opus by Irish hemp building pioneer Steve Allin, providing a comprehensive overview of 50 hemp projects worldwide.
Portugal: Hempcrete Mixed with Charcoal Builds Solid Walls
Burnt, charred wood is historically used as a wood protection measure on the exterior of buildings. It is a technique usually attributed to the Japanese, called Sugi Ban, which we wanted to adapt for hemp construction, by inserting charcoal into the mixture and/or burning the hemp straw itself.
Zimbabwe Approves Hempcrete for Housing Initiative
The government of Zimbabwe sees a role for hemp in construction after securing a $63 million line of credit from an African fund to develop eco-friendly buildings.
Hempcrete: A Master of Moisture Control
Moisture is one of the biggest problems for buildings as it can rot the structure and bring about mold/other such issues. Most structures fail before their time because of moisture.
Hemp Block Company Brings Together Israeli, Palestinian Entrepreneurs
Two Israelis living in the south of Alentejo have teamed up with two Palestinians to found an innovative hemp block business for sustainable construction. Its aim is to encourage the local economy with as little ecological footprint as possible and, of course, lots of love. From this unlikely relationship of Israeli-Palestinian friendship, Hemp was born.
Spotlight: 3 New Hemp Houses in the USA
We’d like to introduce you to three new hempcrete builds in Texas, Colorado and Michigan. All three projects began, or were completed, in 2022 and the builders/subcontractors are already starting new projects.
Hemp Voices: Hempcrete Classes Held at Kansas State University
In a first-of-its-kind class offered this semester at Kansas State University, Professor Michael Gibson’s graduate seminar students completed final presentations on building with hempcrete. The class spent the first half of the year researching hempcrete projects from around the world and the material’s historical context.
Data Reveals Hemp’s Low Carbon Footprint in Construction
A Colorado engineering professor’s 2020 research has given builders and designers a new way to measure the way hemp-based biomaterials can store carbon in buildings. By comparing data from a life cycle assessment of hemp+lime insulation, or hempcrete, using digital tools, builders can easily see the benefits of hemp as compared to traditional construction materials.
Cape Town 12 -Story 'Hemp Highrise' Shows Power of Hemp for Renovation
Two South African companies say they will put the finishing touches on a seven-story building expansion constructed with hemp blocks later this year.
Hemporium and Afrimat Hemp, both of Cape Town, partnered to raise an existing conventional five-story building, 84 Harrington Street, to 12 stories by adding levels constructed with blocks from Afrimat Hemp.
Measuring Embodied Carbon in NY Hempcrete Build
One of the biggest motivations in using hemp and lime as a construction material was our interest in building “net zero” or “carbon-negative” or “climate-positive” or “carbon-neutral”– there are a lot of different terms being used, ultimately, it is about achieving a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it.
Hemp Building Events This Summer
Don’t miss these upcoming events across the USA for the chance to learn about hemp building and construction.
Texas A&M Receives $3.74M for 3D-printed Hempcrete Buildings Research
A plan from Texas A&M University researchers to 3D print new resilient buildings using hempcrete has the potential to lower the environmental impact of traditional construction methods and make housing more affordable and available.
Defiant Ukrainian Pioneer Builds Hemp Houses as War Rages
Sergiy Kovalenkov has built a business in Ukraine and has no intention of ceasing operations during the war. In fact, he feels strongly that this is the time to double down on is efforts to support others in the hemp industry, and to work to move the Ukrainian medical cannabis initiative forward as well.
Pre Cast Hempcrete Blocks vs. Cast-In-Place Hempcrete
This article will focus on construction time, practical challenges, reliability and building sciences, between the two options.