How Can You Live Sustainably with Hempcrete & Hempitecture?
- ansleysantos98
- Sep 28, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 6, 2024
There's no doubt that modern architecture's fads have produced some interesting-looking houses. From the chic, practical design of Villa Savoye to the iconic, organic nature of Sheats Goldstein Residence, you can find any and every kind of modern home—including hempcrete 'hempitecture' homes.
What the hell is hempcrete? Hempcrete (or hemp concrete) is an eco-friendly building material made from hemp stalks, water, and powdered limestone. Once curated, hempcrete is formed into a brick-shaped building material that can construct hemp homes and other commercial properties.
I get it—you’re skeptical. When we think of things made from hemp, we imagine braided, hippy bracelets and maybe funky T-shirts. We also think of hemp’s naughty and notoriously flammable cousin, marijuana. So, how is it possible to build a structurally safe home using this flimsy, combustive material?
Surprisingly, it's not as far-fetched as it sounds, and we’re finding more modern architectural structures made from these sustainable building materials.
In the following sections, we’ll discuss hempcrete's pros and cons and how it has impacted modern architecture.
Hempcrete: An Eco-Friendly, Viable Building Material
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I’m usually a major fan of the saying: If something is working, why bother changing it? The United States has been constructing houses with timber for centuries, so why should we reinvent the wheel by encouraging hemp architecture and hempcrete homes?
Well...global warming and deforestation are still huge threats to our climate's stability. As the U.S. continues to explore wacky ways to cool the planet, how about we give sustainable building materials a try instead?
Unfortunately, the U.S. is set in its ways and relies heavily on deforestation to fuel multiple industries, including agriculture, crop expansion, logging and timber industries, urbanization, and infrastructure development. Our forests, acting as carbon sinks, absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which mitigates climate instability. The environmental impacts of deforestation are detrimental to Earth's stability and our future.
So, how can we help protect the forests and the ecosystem with hempcrete?
Hemp concrete is a carbon-negative biocomposite that can sequester over 100 kilograms of CO2 per square meter, making it a conservational building material. It can last for hundreds of years and has many beneficial properties that make it:
Flame-resistant, unlike timber houses
Water-resistant
Mold-resistant
Pest-resistant
Nontoxic
A natural insulator for homes
Strong and durable
Not to mention, cultivating hemp is relatively easy (and requires zero harsh chemicals!). It operates as a rotation crop, so it’s an excellent resource for our agricultural system. Hemp puts nutrients like nitrogen back into the soil, improving soil structure and texture. Also, an acre of hemp is ready for cultivation after 4 months, while an acre of pine trees takes 25-40 years to mature for plywood production.
Overall, hempcrete could be the next big contender in the search for new, sustainable building materials. So, why isn't everyone living in hempcrete homes?
Why is the U.S. Anti-Hemp?
Due to federal prohibition laws, hemp production was only recently legalized in the U.S. in 2018. Historically, hemp was grouped with its distant relative, marijuana, and both were classified as Schedule 1 controlled substances alongside LSD, ecstasy, heroin, and methadone.
Isn’t that silly?
After its legalization, if you wanted your home built using hempcrete, you’d need to import the materials and hire a specialist who knows how to work with it- which can be costly. The hemp material was also slow to cure, meaning it couldn’t be used to create load-bearing walls. That’s why homes made entirely of hempcrete are so rare.
Our country now has to catch up with the rest of the world. While cultivating hemp is becoming more popular, it's still outnumbered by other building materials, such as pine trees. This means that there are minimal options for where to get supplies.
Thankfully, in the past couple of years, U.S. companies that manufacture hempcrete have grown, so now you can avoid importing the materials at a costly price.
One of these companies, Hemp Block USA, claims they can produce load-bearing hempcrete blocks and complete your dream home from start to finish.
“Building with hempcrete blocks provides immediate benefits by reducing the time (and therefore cost) of building projects by up to 60%. In the long term, building owners reap the rewards of temperature regulation (and therefore less energy consumption), sound insulation and fire resistance, all from a natural material that’s safe from termites.” – Hemp Block USA website.
So, now that we have easier access to these materials, will hempcrete keep up with modern architectural trends and fads?
Hempitecture: a Tango with Modern Architecture
As concrete made of hemp rises to fame, 'hempitecture' starting to make a splash in the world of modern architecture.
The essence of modern architecture defies tradition, rejects premeditated ‘rules,’ and emphasizes artistic experimentation in its designs. Every so often, the movement incorporates nature, environmentalism, and eco-friendly principles, which makes hempcrete the perfect contender for sustainable living.
In the age of climate crises, architects and designers have a responsibility to incorporate sustainability into their designs. They have an entire playing field of possibilities at their fingertips to make the funkiest, chic, eye-popping and iconic environmentally-friendly homes and buildings.
Here are some recent(ish) examples of modern architects promoting sustainability and incorporating hempcrete in their designs:
This futuristic-looking house is made entirely of hemp bricks and reinforced with concrete. Its shape and design, inspired by the Möbius strip, give off an extraterrestrial spaceship vibe. The Mobius House of Hemp and Bricks defies traditional architectural values, challenges mathematics, incorporates nature, and promotes environmentalism, making it the perfect example of how modern architecture and hemp architecture go hand-in-hand.
Designers Steffen Welsch Architects highlight the principle of building sustainably and being environmentally sensitive with their creation of Hemp House. It was the first-ever hempcrete home built in Australia, paving the way for future inspiration. It combines rammed earth and timber and incorporates a calming, earthy color pallet.
Constructed in 2021, the Pierre Chevet Sports Hall is France's first public building made of hempcrete and wood. The sports center's chic, ultra-shiny, and bright design is sure to entice guests, proving that even eco-friendly buildings can be stylish.
In 2010, the States saw its first house constructed with hempcrete. This stylish, modern North Carolinian home caused waves in the press and got people thinking, "Are homes made of hemp plants really a possibility?" During that time, hemp production was still federally illegal, and importing the materials needed for construction is estimated to have cost around $25-$30 per cubic foot.
The Bottom Line
All things considered, hempcrete and hempitecture are incredible concepts. The good-for-the-planet building material is durable and has lots of potential to optimize our current construction practices. It may not be perfect, but what is perfect these days?
As modern architecture's appeal grows in the U.S., I hope to continue seeing a balance of elegance, nature, and hempcrete in the designers’ agendas. Who knows- it might even become the “norm” to live in a sophisticated, modern hempcrete home.
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