Williams, K. (2023, February 21). In Search for Sustainable Materials, Developers Turn to Hemp. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/business/hemp-construction-buildings.html?searchResultPosition=8
Industrial hemp is a type of plant specifically used as a construction material and is becoming increasingly popular as it is better for the environment. It all began in Paris when the Pierre Chevet Sports Hall was made entirely of hemp blocks and shocked everyone as they believed it would just be the beginning of hemp-made buildings. Hemp can be made in three forms; the first is in block form which is what the Sports Hall was made of, the other is hempcrete, made of lime, hemp fibers, and a chemical binder, and lastly hemp panels.
Researchers have discovered that though hemp is more expensive than regular construction materials, there are a lot of advantages that are beneficial to the environment. For instance, to create hemp blocks, there isn’t much skill required for assembly which means fewer workers are needed. It’s also faster to build since there are no cement joints or drying time in the proceeds of making hemp blocks. They also don’t take up as much space because insulation and finishing layers aren’t necessary, so there’s more space for use. I believe with so many advantages to using hemp as the construction material, the cost wouldn’t be much of an issue since it’s worth it for improving the environment. I also think more light should be shed on this idea because I’m confident that not a lot of people know about this solution, but would be very helpful for future buildings.
Chloe- I’ve just read so many abstracts, all well written. But this is my favorite. I have always known hemp has huge potential as an alternative resource for so many things (George Washington was a hemp farmer… did you know that? Much of the “weed” growing in MN, where I grew up, was planted by the govt to make rope for WWII, a draft of the constitution was written on hemp paper- super interesting history for sure). But I never knew it could be used for a concrete substitute. Fascinating. You may not know this, but the sand used for concrete is in very short supply… concrete is a cheap building material, and carbon intensive. If we could figure out alternatives with a fast growing “weed” like hemp, it could be a HUGE game changer. Did the article happen to say if sand is still needed? I am definitely interested in learning more about this… and potentially becoming an investor. Thanks for putting this one on my radar. Great job on writing both parts of this, Chloe.
Thank you so much for your kind and respectful comment! In response to your question about if sand is still needed, the article didn’t mention the use of sand, only lime, hemp fibers, a chemical binder, and hemp panels. I wonder what other things scientists could discover with the use of hemp!