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A house made from hemp
By Michelle Robertson
Who would have thought that,aside from being a material for making clothes, paper, food and skincare products, the most useful plant in the world could alsobe thebase material for constructing homes.The non-profit organization Nauhaus Institutein North Carolina, US, has built an experimental 375 square metre house using ‘hempcrete’. This is a mixture of hemp with lime and water which ispoured into the exterior supports of the building. It creates solid yet breathable walls with incredible insulation that is capable of maintaining a steady internal temperature. In addition it has the added benefit of absorbing both CO2 and impurities from the air.
Using concrete made from hemp is a great ecological breakthrough, and that’s not all – this open plan dream house contains other ecologically friendly materials that are proving to be both green and highly durable. The internal walls are constructed usingcorrugated paper with a rigid skin; 30 recycled window frames are fitted with special glass that allows the maximum amount of daylight in to warm the space without it overheating; an air-based heat pump effectively heats and cools the whole construction using minimal solar electricity. All in all, it is an excellent model for the future of sustainable housing.
