Nowadays, Sustainability is a big issue for modern architecture. With the human population growing at a fast pace, more resources are needed in order to build houses. Problems like deforestation and lots of other environmental factors come into the game. But now the hemp plant seems to give an alternative solution to many of these ecological concerns.
The idea of a house made of Hempcrete (instead of concrete) may sound weird, but it is happening already. Hempcrete is a material many times stronger than concrete and has half of the weight of it. It can be used as a construction material, saving a lot of environmental resources and pollution. Moreover it is much more flexible than concrete so it does not crack in case of a small earthquake. For thousands of years, humans have been using hemp for clothing (textiles), food (hemp seeds are fine protein source), paper (an easy solution to save the forests), plastics and fuel (biodiesel) and a lot more. Hemp is a renewable plant, easily cultivated, able to give an eco-friendly solution to the old fashioned construction problems. Read more at Zambeza.
