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Title: Hemp homes are cutting edge of green building
Source:
USA Today
URL Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communi ... /hemp-houses-built-asheville/1
Published: Sep 13, 2010
Author: John C. Fletcher
Post Date: 2010-09-13 20:32:27 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 555
Comments: 56
Hemp is turning a new leaf. The plant fiber, used to make the sails that took Christopher Columbus' ships to the New World, is now a building material. In Asheville, N.C., a home built with thick hemp walls was completed this summer and two more are in the works. Dozens of hemp homes have been built in Europe in the past two decades, but they're new to the United States, says David Madera, co-founder of Hemp Technologies, a company that supplied the mixture of ground-up hemp stalks, lime and water. The industrial hemp is imported because it cannot be grown legally in this country — it comes from the same plant as marijuana. Its new use reflects an increasing effort to make U.S. homes not only energy-efficient but also healthier. Madera and other proponents say hemp-filled walls are non-toxic, mildew-resistant, pest-free and flame-resistant. The home's bathroom has efficient lighting and water-conserving plumbing fixturesCAPTIONBy Peak Definition"There is a growing interest in less toxic building materials, says Peter Ashley, director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. "The potential health benefits are significant," he says, citing a recent study of a Seattle public housing complex that saw residents' health improve after their homes got a green makeover. The U.S. government has not taken a "systemic approach" to studying chemicals in homes and instead addresses problems such as asbestos, lead, arsenic and formaldehyde only after people get sick, says Rebecca Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing, a private research group. She says green building so far has focused mostly on the environment, not the health of the people inside. Ashley agrees that federal attention has been "sporadic," but says an interagency group began meeting last year to tackle the issue more broadly. He says HUD is funding more research on the health and environmental benefits of eco-friendly homes. Some green-rating programs, such as the one run by the private U.S. Green Building Council, give points for indoor air quality. "We are taking the next step in green building," says Anthony Brenner, a home designer with Push Design who created Asheville's first hemp home. "We're trying to develop a system that's more health-based." Brenner says he's been searching for non-toxic materials because he wants to build a home for his 9-year-old daughter, Bailey, who has a rare genetic disorder that makes her extremely sensitive to chemicals. "We have to keep her away from anything synthetic," he says, or she'll have seizures. •Follow Green House on Twitter He says a hemp home can be affordable, even though importing hemp makes it more expensive than other building materials, because skilled labor is unnecessary and hemp is so strong that less lumber is needed. The hemp mixture — typically four parts ground-up hemp to one part lime and one part water — is placed inside 2-foot-by-4-foot wall forms. Once it sets, the forms are removed. Although it hardens to a concrete-like form, wood framing is used for structural support. "This is like a living, breathing wall," Madera says. Hemp absorbs carbon dioxide and puts nitrogen into the soil, so it's good for the environment, he says. Alex Wilson, executive editor of Environmental Building News, says hemp can be grown with minimal use of chemicals and water. He says it has a midlevel insulating value (R-2 per inch) but is usually installed in a thick enough wall system to make it appropriate for all but the most severe climates. The mixture, "Tradical Hemcrete," has not previously been used in U.S. homes, but in 2008 it went into a community center on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Badlands, S.D., as well as a small chapel and pottery studio near Houston, says Mario Machnicki, managing director of American Lime Technology, a Chicago company that imports hemp from the United Kingdom. Asheville's second hemp home will be finished in about six weeks, says builder Clarke Snell of the Nauhaus Institute, a non-profit group of designers, engineers, developers and others interested in sustainable urban living. Snell says the home, which has 16-inch-thick walls, is airtight and energy-efficient. He expects it to meet rigorous Passive House Institute standards, which call for homes to use up to 90% less energy than regular ones. "On the coldest day in winter, the body heat of 10 people should heat the home," he says. "We're basically building a European home." Snell says his group will own the 1,750-square-foot house, and its engineer will live there for a couple of years to monitor energy use. He doesn't know how much it will cost because, as a prototype, it was built with donations and volunteer labor. The owners of the first hemp home say it cost $133 a square foot to build, not including land and excavation. "That's pretty remarkable" for a custom home in Asheville, which is a pricey area, says Karon Korp, a writer who moved into the house in July. Korp says she and her husband, Russ Martin wanted primarily an energy-efficient home. They're not particularly sensitive to chemicals, but they were drawn to Brenner because of his modern aesthetic and green building enthusiasm. She says they're thrilled their house is made of a renewable, toxic-free material and hope it sets an example for the nation. "Hemp could replace tobacco if it were legalized," says Martin, Asheville's GOP mayor from 1993 to 1997. He says some area tobacco farms have gone bust. Martin says they have spent less than $100 a month so far to cool the home, which has 3,000 square feet plus a garage. It has 12" thick walls, Energy Star appliances, dual-flush toilets, high-performance windows and LED lights. Korp says they might add a windmill, because the house sits atop a mountain. They say they have fantastic views. "We seen the sun rise," he says. She adds, "and the sun set."
In Asheville, N.C., Anthony Brenner holds a handful of industrial hemp shiv, left, and a block of the finished hardened product after the shiv is mixed with hydraulic lime. He designed a home with thick hemp walls that was completed this summer and is currently working on another one that will use hemp on interior walls. 
The hemp home was built for $133 per square foot, not including land and excavation costs, at the top of a mountain. 
The kitchen has clerestory windows for natural daylighting and Energy Star appliances. 
The home's bathroom has efficiency lighting and water-conserving plumbing fixtures 
A 2,ooo square foot with thick hemp walls was completed this summer in Ashville, N.C.
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#1. To: Ferret (#0)
U.S. Constitution - Article IV, Section 4: NO BORDERS + NO LAWS = NO COUNTRY
This is basically a variation on a centuries old building construction material called Cob. It has been in use for centuries, and some of the cottages built from it centuries ago are still standing and livable. Oregon, if you were not already aware, is a hub of Cob Cottage Construction. Cob Cottage Co. Cob houses can be built very cheaply and are very thermal efficient and long lasting. "One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Sounds like a "new & improved" version of the mud hut. I prefer to live in a house that can't be destroyed by some kid with a pressure washer.
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
BAH! Irish homes have persisted for centuries.
"we ought to lay off the criticism" -- Pinguinite, circa 2010-05-26 22:17:22 ET
I like straw and cob houses. Ironically, even though some have been built locally, more have been kept from being built because the building codes don't have guidelines and standards to go by in order to authorize them. Which makes me suspect that conventional building material producers might be deliberately using their economic pull to prevent these buildings from becoming common place. Much as mattress manufacturers have been able to dampen the popularity of water beds by spreading rumors and fear about the weight they have per square foot, or damage they can cause if they leak catastrophically.
Just wait until AKA Stone... tries to give you a "sink hole" again.
"we ought to lay off the criticism" -- Pinguinite, circa 2010-05-26 22:17:22 ET
Such is the tyranny of good intentions taken over by the interested parties to hobble or eliminate competition. That is much how "medicine" is in this country. A real problem, slipshod construction and collapsing houses in the post-war building boom of the early 50's - which the building codes were designed to protect against were then taken over by the industries they were designed to protect against. Such as it is with hemp - interested parties in private business were able to make their competition illegal - both the petrochemical industry and the brewers - who were the big forces behind making hemp illegal. That illustrates the pragmatism of my opposition to big government and regulation. It is not that I am against protecting people but the historical reality that ALL regulatory schemes are in time taken over for someone's private aggrandizement. That is why I prefer a weak central government and strong laws against fraud - including the business death penalty of suing a business into bankruptcy. However, putting the soap box away, going back to construction. Yes there are technologies which are people friendly, durable, inexpensive, and environmentally sound. Of course there are other options, but Cob is easy to come up with, all you need is a heavy clay soil, which in Oregon we have in abundance, sand, and straw. It offers a way to put a roof over someone's head for much less than a conventional stick house and it is every bit as sturdy if not more so.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Sounds like a "new & improved" version of the mud hut. I prefer to live in a house that can't be destroyed by some kid with a pressure washer. So is Adobe, but there are Adobe houses that have been standing in the Southwest for over 200 years. The Alamo was made of Adobe. The Pueblos lasted over 1,000 and can still be visited. Compacted earth with a medium in it such as sand and straw is actually quite durable. They have, in some cases, been standing, in England which is a wet climate, for over 400 years. There are not a lot of wood frame homes that last that long. Yes if you stood there with a fire hose or pressure washer for an hour or two you could create a hole, but realistically how likely is that to happen? As well they are easily patched and easy to expand. It is low tech that is sound tech.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Yeah, well there is always that. But no worries. I'm not vindictive, but I never forget, otherwise it is impossible to get accountability, or to be accountable for one's own foibles and faults. One thing I learned here at 4UM is that peace is more then about the wars on a macro scale. Unless we take care of the wars on a personal level, on the micro scale, we don't have much room to complain about we we rattle the bars to complain to the powers that be about what they are doing to cause hatred, maiming and death. ;-)
Cob lasts a long time too. When I was in Europe I saw cob buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. Which says a lot for that material. When I was looking at pictures of the devastation in Florida and other southern states caused by hurricanes where much of that was to blame for shoddy construction and inferior materials, one of the first thing I thought of was things like old cob buildings I saw in England and Ireland.
A stunning cob house in Wolf Creek, Oregon More pictures of it here.
When I was looking at pictures of the devastation in Florida and other southern states caused by hurricanes where much of that was to blame for shoddy construction and inferior materials, one of the first thing I thought of was things like old cob buildings I saw in England and Ireland. Current, recently built homes are built with the cheapest materials that meet the antiquated codes, and often of materials, such as ureaformaldehyde foam insulation, that make people sick. Natural materials are much healthier. There are several building technologies and styles that are superior to stick built homes, and they are all cheaper - without using a lot of lumber i.e., a lot fewer trees. Not that I am a hugger, but I am a conservationist and a lover of the wilderness. At least I resist taking on the label "hugger" too much other baggage with it that I do disagree with. ;-) Another technology is monolithic domes, which would be ideal in Florida. They are basically formed structures made of rebar and concrete. They are stronger than stick built homes. A low dome with an aerodynamic surface could withstand a Class 5 Hurricane. Again environmentally friendly and extremely durable. I would like a stone block house but the cost is, at least for now, prohibitive.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Neat. You know what Cob houses remind me of? Tolkien - Hobbits. ;-)
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
The domes can be built in most any style including lozenge shaped. I have seen lower flattened designs than this one which would handle high winds quite handily. "One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Here is a neat one made of 3 small domes: "One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Well, when you put it that way I'll show respect for it; but if the Alamo had stone walls 3' thick the outcome would have been a little different.
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
Well, when you put it that way I'll show respect for it; but if the Alamo had stone walls 3' thick the outcome would have been a little different. Would that it were so. Col. Crockett was quite a man. Still, they were so heavily outnumbered and out gunned that without reinforcements it was an inevitable tragedy. However, their courage and example still stand as among the highest testaments to honor and courage. It will echo down through the ages. REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
For some reason I can't see, but I'm guessing Johnny Horton "The Ballad of the Alamo".
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
After a 3 days siege of 2,000 Mexicans,189 Heroes had offered their lives to insure the freedom of Texas. The Alamo Garrison (Commander of the Alamo) : One of the first to fall, he died defending the north wall at an early hour on March 6. He was 26 years old. (Co-commander of the Alamo): Killed in his bed, where he laid sick with pneumonia, in a small room in the south side. He was 41 years old. His body was found in small fort in the west side. He was 50 years old. The Mexicans At the end of the Battle of Alamo, Santa Anna's loss was estimated at 600 men. The Alamo was remembered, as well as the Goliad massacre (perpetrated by order of General Santa Anna), forty-six days later, on April 21, 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto, where 783 men led by General Sam Houston defeated 1,500 Mexicans. General Santa Anna, disguised as a peasant, was captured the following day. The independence of Texas was won !
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
it doesn't say who it is, but it's a very nice rendition with lyrics. the second one is Marty Robbins.
ping
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
thank you, i read it. it gave me the chills.
I didn't know that Travis was only 26. I guess I had always assumed he was older because I knew Crocket and Bowie were. It still brings tears to my eyes. I would say that was a decent honor guard on their last march.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Those, as far as I am aware, are the two best renditions - Johnny Horton and Marty Robbins. Doggone it! Now you guys got me dripping this wet stuff on my shirt.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Yeah, after thousands die from asbestos homes, no wonder.
God is always good!
Not just that but a lot of the insulating materials they've been using, the plastic vapor barrier, and acrylic varnishes, and such, give off toxic vapors that make people sick. Some people are very sensitive to them and others not, but think of it as a "Canary in a Coal Mine". Just because some people have a higher tolerance does not mean there are no long term effects.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Be proud not sad, the Valkyries have carried them to Valhalla WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
Not so much sad as overwhelmed with admiration for their courage. Sad only that such heroes were lost.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
"Hemp could replace tobacco if it were legalized.... Hemp would cheaply replace many things if allowed. $133 a square foot plus lot and digging is too expensive yet.
Mark If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers - normally good Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free - Americans who have been lulled into a false security (April 1968).---Ezra Taft Benson, US Secretary of Agriculture 1953-1961 under Eisenhower
Take a day trip to the Alamo sound stage in Bracketville. It was built by John Wayne in 1959 for his version of the movie. There is a lot of film history there (IIRC, it was also used as the set for Lonesome Dove and 90 other films). Since it's in the middle of nowhere, the place gives you a much different perspective than the shrine in San Antonio.
I was thinking that this morning as I watched a log truck full of approx. 400 year old tree logs roll by on W6th Street here in Eugene, OR waiting to cross on my bicycle. If we wold grow industrial hemp, we would have so much cheap construction material, the ten percent or so old growth remaining here in the Pacific Northwest could be left standing for all to enjoy instead of turning every hectare of forest land into a tree farm with same age, same specie mono-culture. It's something I want to see really badly. Hemp is not smokable cannabis. In fact, they are stupid, as if hemp pollen was everywhere, it would be incredibly hard to grow the smokable stuff without it being contaminated genetically with strains that has almost no THC.
Any known reason they don't get the hemp from Canada?
It's been fifty years, or more, since my family visited the Alamo on a Texas missions' trail vacation. I can still feel the sense of being in a sacred and holy place as we walked through the Alamo. If you can, visit it, and experience it for yourselves.
The battle of Alamo reminds me of all the people in the ME who are fighting to the death for their right to be free of invaders in their countries.
Yep, the cheapest and best houses are straw bale.
"Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses." -- Richard K. Morgan
Building "green" houses will save the economy, the presidency, America, the environment and the whole world !!! Or maybe it will just add to the inventory glut that already exists in the housing market created by the FED created bubble and drive home prices down even further.....I think I heard a faint 'pop', are more houses being burnt down in a city near you?
I believe you to be right, and it is so sad to see what has been done to the NW.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" Sorry, that 'flower' is just too dangerous for adults, we'll have to have GUNverment "protection and services" to make it all right. Peace.
I go there once a year. The Alamo is still treated like a holy shrine, with people speaking in hushed tones. It's amazing, considering how many tourists go through the place.
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#2. To: Ferret, wudidiz, christine, CadetD, farmfriend, Eric Stratton, Flintlock, all (#0)
(Located in Coquille, OR) "Earth is probably still the world's commonest building material. The word cob comes from an old English root meaning a lump or rounded mass. Cob building uses hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed with sand and straw, a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay. Cob is easy to learn and inexpensive to build. Because there are no forms, ramming, cement or rectilinear bricks, cob lends itself to organic shapes: curved walls, arches and niches. Earth homes are cool in summer, warm in winter. Cob's resistance to rain and cold makes it ideally suited to cold climates like the Pacific Northwest, and to desert conditions.
Cob has been used for millennia even in the harsh climates of coastal Britain, at the latitude of the Aleutians. Thousands of comfortable and picturesque cob homes in England have been continuously occupied for many centuries and now command very high market values. With recent rises in the price of lumber and increasing interest in natural and environmentally safe building practices, cob is enjoying a renaissance. This ancient technology doesn't contribute to deforestation, pollution or mining nor depend on manufactured materials or power tools. Earth is non-toxic and completely recyclable. In this age of environmental degradation, dwindling natural resources, and chemical toxins hidden in our homes, doesn't it make sense to return to nature's most abundant, cheap and healthy building material?" 
Fanciful Cob House, USA
Traditional Cob Cottage, Devon, England
Modern Cob House, USA
Traditonal Styled Cob House, USA
#3. To: Original_Intent (#2)
What is Cob?
#4. To: Flintlock (#3)
I prefer to live in a house that can't be destroyed by some kid with a pressure washer.
#5. To: Original_Intent (#2)
#6. To: Ferret, A K A Stone (#5)
Much as mattress manufacturers have been able to dampen the popularity of water beds
#7. To: Ferret (#5)
(Edited)
I like straw and cob houses. Ironically, even though some have been built locally, more have been kept from being built because the building codes don't have guidelines and standards to go by in order to authorize them.
#8. To: Flintlock (#3)
What is Cob?
#9. To: buckeroo (#6)
"Just wait until AKA Stone... tries to give you a "sink hole" again."
#10. To: Original_Intent (#7)
#11. To: Original_Intent (#2)
#12. To: Ferret (#10)
Cob lasts a long time too. When I was in Europe I saw cob buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. Which says a lot for that material.
#13. To: Ferret (#11)
#14. To: Ferret (#11)
Monolithic Dome
This one is in Florida.
Notice the lower profile on the secondary dome.
Here is a smaller more lozenge shaped one.
#15. To: All (#14)
#16. To: Original_Intent (#8)
The Alamo was made of Adobe.
#17. To: Flintlock (#16)
The Alamo was made of Adobe.
#18. To: Flintlock, OI (#16)
#19. To: All (#18)
#20. To: christine (#18)
#21. To: Original_Intent (#17)
their courage and example still stand as among the highest testaments to honor and courage. It will echo down through the ages. REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
General Antonio Lopez de SANTA ANNA : El Generalissimo
The battle lasted only eighteen minutes.
When all was over, 630 men of the Mexican army were dead; 730 were prisoners.
Nine Texans lost their lives.
#22. To: Original_Intent (#20)
#23. To: christine (#21)
#24. To: Flintlock (#23)
#25. To: Flintlock (#21)
(Edited)
After a 3 days siege of 2,000 Mexicans,189 Heroes had offered their lives to insure the freedom of Texas.
General Antonio Lopez de SANTA ANNA : El Generalissimoover
2,000 men (infantry, artillery and cavalry) At the end of the Battle of Alamo, Santa Anna's loss was estimated at 600 men.
#26. To: christine, Flintlock (#22)
#27. To: Ferret (#0)
"There is a growing interest in less toxic building materials,..."
#28. To: RickyJ (#27)
#29. To: Original_Intent (#26)
Doggone it!
#30. To: Flintlock (#29)
#31. To: Ferret (#0)
The industrial hemp is imported because it cannot be grown legally in this country....
#32. To: christine (#18)
#33. To: Kamala (#31)
"Hemp would cheaply replace many things if allowed."
#34. To: Ferret, 4 (#0)
...a Chicago company that imports hemp from the United Kingdom.
#35. To: Sarajevo, christine, 4 (#32)
#36. To: All (#35)
#37. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#1)
#38. To: Ferret (#0)
#39. To: Ferret (#33)
If we wold grow industrial hemp, we would have so much cheap construction material, the ten percent or so old growth remaining here in the Pacific Northwest could be left standing for all to enjoy instead of turning every hectare of forest land into a tree farm with same age, same specie mono-culture.
#40. To: tom007, Ferret (#39)
If we would grow industrial hemp
#41. To: Lod (#35)
I can still feel the sense of being in a sacred and holy place as we walked through the Alamo.
.
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