As Austranqulity begins to establishes itself in the greater Brisbane community our focus moves towards a bright future of ingenuitive cleaner greener constructions. Granny flats or Modular domiciles offer the perfect grounds for venturing into the world of ecologically friendly building alternatives. Our research begins at ground level yielding technologies such as Hempcrete and mushroom fiber insulation. With goals of reducing energy usage through utilisation of natural thermal conducive heating and cooling strategies, along with natural pest control and the ultimate result of limiting the amount of harmful chemicals introduced into the home environment from the first moment.
So what is Hempcrete?
“Hempcrete is very versatile as it can be used for wall insulation, flooring, walls, roofing and more. It’s fire-proof, water-proof, and rot-proof as long as it’s above ground. Hempcrete is made from the shiv or inside stem of the hemp plant and is then mixed with a lime base binder to create the building material.”
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/02/03/hempcrete-worlds-strongest-building-material/
“One of the main benefits of hempcrete is that it is carbon negative, which can help to improve the sustainability or environmental soundness of a building project. Hemp sequesters a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) as it grows, through the same process of photosynthesis that is used by other plants. The amount of CO2 that is broken down in this way is typically larger than the carbon emissions involved in processing the final hemp and lime mixture. Some governments offer incentives for carbon neutral building design, so the use of hempcrete could be useful to those ends.”
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hempcrete.htm
There appears to be one draw back in the argument of Hempcrete vs Concrete as it stands.
Concretes compressive strength is about 20 times more than that of Hempcrete, however by adjusting the mix and adding some dense materials (eg. sand, wood etc..) we should be able to raise the integrity and strength to suit it’s use in slabs and walls.
Stay tuned for insight into the many uses of mushrooms in the home.