Centuries Old, Hemp Grows Hemp Building!
The Cover photo from Harmless Home of hempcrete blocks for a home project in British Columbia. The woody fibers of the cannabis plant — it grows from seed to harvest in about four months — when mixed with lime produces a natural, light concrete that retains thermal mass and is highly insulating.
By Adam Popescu, New York Times News Service – Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Battling the plant’s powerful drug connotation might be the toughest hurdle for farmers and builders and is possibly a more formidable obstacle during the Trump administration.
The plant is still highly regulated.
Still, in the United States, special permits are needed to build with hemp, and the requirements can vary by county and state. The first modern hemp house was constructed in 2010, in North Carolina. There are now about 50 such homes in the country.
Hemp was rediscovered in the 1980s across Europe, where cultivation is legal, and France has become the European Union’s largest hemp producer. Hundreds of buildings across the continent use the substance as insulation to fill walls and roofs, and under floors in wood-framed buildings.