Hemp 101 for Construction a Sustainable Finishing Material HELLO
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Hemp 101 for Construction A Sustainable Finishing Material HELLO, Welcome to Hemp 101 for Construction: An introduction to one of the oldest and "newest" building materials on earth. For professionals in construction who are new to hemp... This is not a technical guide, it's an overview of a high performance, versatile, and resilient natural material that's going to flood the market in the coming years. We'll take a short look back at hemp's history, dive into technical and functional uses, then look forward to how it can help us collectively move towards a more sustainable earth. Through the lens of your professions, you can view this material from many perspectives, recognize its limitations and potential, as well as evaluate both short term benefits and long term returns. I created this guide because the reemergence of hemp is recent, and so naturally, many people have never heard of the plant, or think hemp is Marijuana. Education on the facts and science is our path to breaking the stigma, and to adding one of the strongest fibers on earth to our toolbox. I invite you to explore it, and consider it on your next project. Hebah Saddique, PMP Founder, Green Takeover October 2020 1 GREEN TAKEOVER Born to bridge the worlds of climate action and industrial hemp, Green Takeover symbolizes the union of these two movements. Our mission is to inspire action using hemp as a catalyst for a green economy. Hemp fits directly into conversations of a circular economy, regenerative design thinking and materials for a closed loop. It fits into the blueprints of green cities. It fits, accelerates, and enhances solutions addressing 1/3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that relate to a green economy. Green Takeover is a hemp-focused sustainability, project, and management consultancy. Helping clients strengthen their connection between strategy and operations, partnering with them to implement bold radical initiatives, and working with them to adopt best-in-class sustainability strategies. We're personally invested in a booming hemp industry. Growing hemp plays a vital role in cleaning our soil, absorbing enormous amounts of carbon from our atmosphere, reducing our footprint, and enhancing our collective climate action efforts. Hemp is good for people, profits, and our planet. We encourage you to explore it, grow it, and use it, because in the end, we're all in this together. October 2020 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Green Takeover would like to gratefully acknowledge and thank the companies, and people behind them, that created and published informative content that served as our sources for this booklet. Thank you for pioneering the hemp building industry, for sharing your knowledge and learnings, and for contributing to our better understanding of the technical applications of hemp’s uses and benefits as an environmentally friendly building and finishing material. We would particularly like to thank American Hemp LLC House Planning Help Podcast American Lime Technology Just Bio Fiber AzoBuild Khaled Labidi Build With Rise Kyla 'Hempress' Hill Designing Building Lancaster Farming Goodvin Designs Left Hand Hemp Green Building Advisor Ministry of Hemp Green Building Canada National Hemp Association Hemp Foundation Pip Magazine Hemp Industry Association Pro Trader Craft Hemp Monster The Hemp Entrepreneur Hemp Technologies Global The Hemp Company Hempcrete Australia The Hemp Mag Hempcrete Direct UK Hempcrete HempME Woodworking Network October 2020 3 Content 1 WHAT IS HEMP? 2 HEMP BUILDING MATERIALS 3 MAKING HEMPCRETE 4 BENEFITS OF HEMP 5 CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 6 GREEN CITIES 7 MONEY TALK 8 CLIMATE ACTION 9 RESEARCH 10 RESOURCES 4 WHAT IS HEMP? LEGALLY Hemp is Cannabis Sativa containing SCIENTIFICALLY less than .3% of the psychoactive compound Tetrahydrocannabinol Belongs to the plant Family (THC) Cannabaceae. The Family is grouped in 11 genera, one of them is the Cannabis COMMERCIALLY genus. There are 3 different types of A versatile mega resource that can Cannabis species that each have be made into tens of thousands of different properties. Sativa, Indica, and products. Used for centuries to make Ruderalis. Industrial hemp is a textiles, ropes, , biofuel, building Cannabis sativa. materials, foods, medications, HISTORICALLY papers, and bioplastics. A layer to be integrated into most industries, just From 1000 B.C. to the 1800s AD, hemp like the .com boom. was the world's largest agricultural crop. Production diminished during ENVIRONMENTALLY the industrial revolution as substitutes A renewable, high yield, agricultural became accessible and the product. Can be made into a petrochemical age began. In the 1920s plethora of biodegradable industrial giant corporations, fearing hemp’s materials. It’s a carbon sink that can resurgence as a big threat to their also help tackle plastic pollution, businesses, proposed prohibitive tax deforestation, soil erosion, fossil laws, passing the Marijuana Tax Act in fuels, and much more 1937, and labeled it a narcotic in 1970. ECONOMICALLY SOCIALLY An abundant renewable resource Commonly confused with its cousin, that’s competitive in pricing, Marijuana. Hemp started to fade from performance, and environmental mainstream language early 1900s. By impact. Due to its accessibility, short the 1930s propaganda campaigns harvesting cycle, and rising global emerged popularizing the term demand for sustainable materials, “Marijuana” for the Cannabis species, growing hemp can give every farmer and linking it to evil. a cash crop, and offer a scalable resource to build a green economy. October 2020 5 ANATOMY & USES OF A HEMP PLANT 1 ROOTS Used for centuries as a topical remedy for bone and muscle aches. Boiled hemp roots help reduce joint stiffness and inflammation. The stalk of the plant is split into fibers and hemp hurd 2 STALK - FIBERS 3 STALK - HURD We can make fabrics, Hemp hurd is similar to industrial textiles, paper wood chips, from it we make products, insulation, etc. hempcrete building Think of anything you know materials, or we can grind that’s made of fabric or paper, the hurd and use it as a base it can be made of hemp. to make bioplastic. 4 LEAVES Make quality animal bedding because its absorbent. Also used as mulch and compost. 5 FLOWER Extract cannabidiol (CBD) to produce medications such as those for epilepsy, joint pain, and fibromyalgia to name a few, as well as to make health supplements. Most abundant in the flower but also in the stems, and leaves 6 SEEDS A generous source of protein, essential fatty acids, and nutrients. Pressing the seeds we can make cooking oil, or we can produce biofuel or manufacture Industrial coatings and oil paints. October 2020 6 ASSORTING THE MANILA HEMP FIBER IN A ROPE FACTORY MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY Source: John Tewell, H.C. White Company October 2020 7 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 2200 BC Hemp was grown throughout HEMP China for its seeds & fiber. 500 AD Mortar hemp bridge built in Gaul (France today) 793 AD Vikings relied on hemp to supply their ships with rope, fish nets, and 1452 AD sail cloths 80 tons of hemp helped bring Columbus's ships to America 1619 AD and until the 1800s you could pay taxes with hemp! 1820s 80% of all textiles and fabrics for linen, drapes, clothing, bed sheets, text books, etc. are made from hemp fibers 1830s The cotton gin (invented by Eli Whitney in 1790) makes cotton a cheaper fiber than hemp 1920s The age of giant corporations begins in the Roaring 20s, and with it a wave of mergers, consolidations, and 1937 specialization across industries Marijuana Tax Act passes, placing a severe tax on cannabis. It is still legal to grow, though not without financial 1942 hardship Henry Ford builds a car using a blend of natural fibers including hemp Controlled Substances Act passes, criminalizing cannabis. First time in US Farm Bill passes removing 1970 US history hemp is considered an cannabis with less than 0.3% THC illegal drug from Schedule I controlled substances 2018 October 2020 8 BUILDING WITH HEMP The woody inner fibers of the hemp plant (hemp Shiv or hurd) are used as a light weight biocomposite building material with a range of performance and environmental benefits. It's a resilient and breathable, low on toxins, long lasting and recyclable material that combines a variety of properties making it appealing to build with. Hemp Insulation A durable, low-carbon, sustainable insulator. It'll keep buildings warm in the winter and cool in the summer due its high thermal mass and low conductivity. Available in insulation blankets or boards, and can be used for insulating roofing, floors, and even drywall. Natural Insulations Hempcrete Used to build non-weight bearing infill walls. Architects love hempcrete for its design flexibility and performance benefits. Builders for low maintenance requirements. Hempcrete is not a structural element so it's not a direct substitute for concrete. Left Hand Hemp Hemp is an environmentally superior material because it is a carbon sink. It's take in 2 times as much Carbon as mature trees in a comparable area. Plus, it takes very little energy to grow and process into insulation. It’s recyclable at the end of its useful life and can be repurposed and made into paper products or a biofuel. October 2020 9 HEMP INSULATION Hemp is a prime insulation material that can help building owners save money on energy, and provide a healthier space. It's a low carbon & durable alternative to fiberglass. Its low thermal conductivity ( 0.039 W/m°K) allows it to not only retain heat but also regulate thermal performance for an optimum indoor environment. Due to the high silica content of hemp it makes for very energy-efficient buildings because it has the ability to store warmth and give it back after a while.