Monday, April 4, 2011
All Coming Together....
It's nice to see everything building up prior to the end of this semester. There was a definite lull in progress for a few weeks, but waiting for that right person to be interested paid off. Made for lots of late news, but having someone else involved in the project with the potential of building the design, is inspiring in itself. I'm looking forward to the outcome. Whatever it may be.
A Very Rough Abstract Outline
The Pursuit of Negative Carbon Footprint Building - Hemp
Thesis: Will the use of hemp in various applications alongside other sustainable products be able to produce a negative carbon footprint residential home in Nelson, British Columbia?
It is not secret that we as humans are depleting the earth of it’s fragile resources. The purpose of this research is to continue the pursuit of negative carbon footprint building, thus helping maintain and hopefully renewing those valuable resources.
Hemp has been provided here on earth for us to use, not abuse. Now with that said, hemp and marijuana, as many see as two-in-one, are not. Although in the same family, hemp is unsuitable as a drug. The psychoactive ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in hemp are restricted to less than 0.2% (by weight) where as marijuana contains 3-22%. Clearly it is best suited for more productive uses. This is why hemp is legal and marijuana is not.
The construction industry worldwide is in need of a truly sustainable building material. Hemp is the “win-win-win solution for the overall community, the economy, and the environment.” - Ronchetti, P. (2007). Through the many benefits of hemp, the way we build will be impacted significantly. Not in a negative way though, but a positive way which will simplify the building entire process. Now, contrary to the previous statement, there is one negative - a negative footprint! Yes, hemp helps restore the earth. Hemp is “better than zero carbon” - Hirst, E., Walker, P., Paine, K., & Yates, T. (2010). One of the biggest problems with the way we build today is leaky buildings. Not so much with moisture, but with air. A drafty home is not a comfortable home nor is it efficient. Is hemp the solution? Lhoist (2008) stated - “It is much easier to achieve an airtight construction using ‘wet’ materials, such as hemp-binder, which is monolithic and easier to detail around breaks, such as windows and doors, minimizing drafts.” Other benefits hemp include, excellent thermal resistance, thermal mass and mould, fire, and rodent resistance. Those are just a few construction related benefits.
For this research, various applications of hemp will be used in the design of a fully passive solar house with possible off-grid capabilities located in Nelson, British Columbia. Through the findings, the hemp products in particular, will be reviewed in priority from highest to lowest overall impact. Other mechanical systems will also be noted, but not reviewed in the same amount of detail as the hemp. The goal of this research is to shed light on the benefits and uses of hemp products amongst builders within British Columbia, thus encouraging an alternative building method. By pursuing this research, I believe this goal can be accomplished.
Thesis: Will the use of hemp in various applications alongside other sustainable products be able to produce a negative carbon footprint residential home in Nelson, British Columbia?
It is not secret that we as humans are depleting the earth of it’s fragile resources. The purpose of this research is to continue the pursuit of negative carbon footprint building, thus helping maintain and hopefully renewing those valuable resources.
Hemp has been provided here on earth for us to use, not abuse. Now with that said, hemp and marijuana, as many see as two-in-one, are not. Although in the same family, hemp is unsuitable as a drug. The psychoactive ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in hemp are restricted to less than 0.2% (by weight) where as marijuana contains 3-22%. Clearly it is best suited for more productive uses. This is why hemp is legal and marijuana is not.
The construction industry worldwide is in need of a truly sustainable building material. Hemp is the “win-win-win solution for the overall community, the economy, and the environment.” - Ronchetti, P. (2007). Through the many benefits of hemp, the way we build will be impacted significantly. Not in a negative way though, but a positive way which will simplify the building entire process. Now, contrary to the previous statement, there is one negative - a negative footprint! Yes, hemp helps restore the earth. Hemp is “better than zero carbon” - Hirst, E., Walker, P., Paine, K., & Yates, T. (2010). One of the biggest problems with the way we build today is leaky buildings. Not so much with moisture, but with air. A drafty home is not a comfortable home nor is it efficient. Is hemp the solution? Lhoist (2008) stated - “It is much easier to achieve an airtight construction using ‘wet’ materials, such as hemp-binder, which is monolithic and easier to detail around breaks, such as windows and doors, minimizing drafts.” Other benefits hemp include, excellent thermal resistance, thermal mass and mould, fire, and rodent resistance. Those are just a few construction related benefits.
For this research, various applications of hemp will be used in the design of a fully passive solar house with possible off-grid capabilities located in Nelson, British Columbia. Through the findings, the hemp products in particular, will be reviewed in priority from highest to lowest overall impact. Other mechanical systems will also be noted, but not reviewed in the same amount of detail as the hemp. The goal of this research is to shed light on the benefits and uses of hemp products amongst builders within British Columbia, thus encouraging an alternative building method. By pursuing this research, I believe this goal can be accomplished.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Initial Meeting
I had a great initial meeting with my prospective client today. We went over the basics of what they're looking for in their home. The focus of the home is going to on the hemp used for different applications. These will be broken down in priority from highest to lowest. The meeting helped set guidelines for the home, which will be the base for my project. From there I will be starting my research. I'm hoping to have a simple concept plan together soon. Once posted, any feedback would be appreciated.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Great News!
As mentioned in my previous post, I sent off an email to my contact who's interested in being involved with my research. I received a reply earlier today with positive feed back; him and his wife are on board and are allowing me to design a passive solar hemp house tailored to their needs. We will be having an online meeting tomorrow to discuss their wants and needs for the design. I should have some sketches ready shortly and will post them as soon as possible. Not sure of the exact location of the lot at the moment, but below is Nelson, B.C. to give you an idea of the area.
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