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.

Concept - East Elevation

Sketch by: M.Grandia

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.

Very Basic Hempcrete Wall Segment

Sketch by: M. Grandia

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.

Nelson, B.C.

How Neat Is That!?!?

A quick update on the Hemp Project. Over the past weekend, I met up an acquaintance of mine. We started chatting and once he found out I was researching hemp products to build a passive solar house he suggested possibly using these methods for his own house. He's interested in building a small house in Nelson, B.C. that is focused purely on functionality and efficiency. We left it at that, but I will be contacting him this week to discuss it further. I will keep you posted of any developments......

Hemp Building Materials

Hemp (cannabis sativa) has course outer fibers and a shorter finer fiber on the inside,often called the hurd, The seeds from the hemp plant also can be pressed to get oil. These three main components of the hemp (cannabis sativa) plant can be manufactured into a variety of products that resemble wood, plastic, and even concrete like material. These hemp made products include but are not limited to plastic, fiberboard, wallboard, roofing tiles, insulation, paneling and bricks can even be made from the compressed inner short hemp fiber. The outer hemp fibers then can also be used like straw in bale construction paired with mud for an old-style cob building.

You can even make foundations from the compressed inner short hemp fibers. You fill a hemp plywood frame with the inner short hemp fibers, lime, sand, plaster and stone cement along with enough water to dampen the materials. It will set in a day and dry in a week. This hemp plaster/concrete is said to be half as light, seven times stronger and three times more pliable. Hemp reinforced concrete is also being tested and used to reduce the amount of concrete needed as well as gain the strength benefits of the strong long hemp fibers.

Homes can be made nearly 100% out of hemp materials. Pipes can be made out of hemp plastic. Walls can be hemp wallboard. Insulation can be made of hemp. It goes on and on… Hemp plaster, paint made with hemp oil, hemp carpet, hemp bricks, and even a hemp roofing material. We do not even list all the ones out there.

Building homes out of hemp will cost more than traditional materials until hemp is legal to be grown where you live but the outcome will be well worth the effort. Hemp building materials are better for you, withstand the test of time the same if not better than their non-renewable counterparts, and are easier on our environment.

Source: www.hemp.com

Go Green!

Research Proposal

Summary of Proposed Project:

    Hemp, a term which in today’s culture is closely associated with the misuse of marijuana, is in fact a centuries old building fiber. Used throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East, hemp has made its mark in the construction industry. However, North America has yet to fully accept the potential of hemp.

    My proposal is to shed light on the benefits of hemp built homes to the public by developing a modern design implementing all the benefits of hemp along with passive solar efficiency. Construction of the home would showcase to the public the potential of building with sustainable materials such as hemp.

Purpose:

    Climate issues have drastically influenced the direction of construction and industry over recent years. Hemp is a “green” building alternative, that in the right hands of building professionals, can be used for insulation, thermal mass, fire protection, siding, flooring, acoustics, as well as numerous other items, all while keeping affordability at the top. It is our responsibility to reverse the climate impacts we have created. Let us put hemp to good use.

Goals and Objective of the Project:

    As a young family man, it is my foremost goal to encourage a responsible building method. By focusing my small construction company on a carbon negative system using hemp, the development of healthy, affordable, energy efficient, modern housing is feasible. By educating children, youth and adults on the positive impacts of building “green,” we are helping develop a better world for future generations.

Methodology and Analytical Approach:

    On November 4-6, 2010 an Industrial Hemp Green Building Conference was held in 100 Mile House, British Columbia. This conference was presented by the Industrial Hemp Pilot Project (IHPP) to educate participants on the uses of industrial hemp. If the IHPP, along with IHPP guest speakers are willing to help with the development of this proposal, samples and information collected would be used towards the design of a Kamloops hemp home. If the IHPP is uninterested, the next step would be to continue with independent research and development towards a hemp based house design. Most data collection will be obtained secondarily from academic writings and industry professionals. Once all design work is complete, with or without the assistance of the IHPP, quotes for the construction of the home would need to be acquired along with funding.

Previous Studies:

    Hemp Technologies USA has acquired an abundant amount of information regarding the uses and performance of various hemp products through sources in Europe. Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have been using hemp for centuries, it is only recently that the Unites States and Canada have begun to put these practices to use. Hemp Technologies USA has successfully built a small number of hemp homes within the United States, but only by importing the hemp at higher costs as industrial hemp crops are illegal within the United States. However, across the northern border, there is locally grown industrial hemp crops waiting to be used in full force. With the knowledge at hand, and the resources found locally, there should be nothing stopping the advancement of  building with hemp.

Plans for Dissemination of Work:

    Through today’s technology, so much information can be rapidly exchanged. With an online blog focused on the sustainability of hemp use in buildings, information, comments, concerns and feedback can be shared continuously. I plan to post and relay my research findings as well as design ideas through the blog.

Contribution of the Project to my Academic Goals and Objectives:

    The Architectural Engineering Technology (ARET) program at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is a large stepping stone towards developing my small construction company, Koda Construction. Koda Construction has been around since 2009 and handles small jobs, like decks, fences, bathroom renovations, and other odd jobs. Keyword being “small,” as furthering my education is quite time consuming. The goal of the company is to focus on a sustainable technology which involves design and management. Through the education at TRU, previous construction experience and this research, Koda Construction will be able to grow by contributing the innovative, “green” building practices of hemp use to the construction industry. Not only will this be a great foundation for my company, but a great influence for generations to come. I sincerely thank you for your consideration.