French for “Art of Hemp,” a new company called Art du Chanvre is reinventing the way we think about building design and they are now live on Kickstarter.
One of the brilliant green minds behind Art du Chanvre is Anthony Néron, who says: “We are Art du Chanvre, we are making a hemp-based building material. We offer services, materials and tools for hemp building and lime finishes. Our intention is to build timeless, to reintroduce the noble materials and craftsmanship. It is time to be progressive and to make smart choices in construction and renovation.”
As initial production goes, they are looking to make over one million blocks this year that can be used in all forms of construction. Why hemp you might ask? Well not only does it make for buildings that last a long time, it also creates sustainable buildings that are able to “breathe” better than traditional materials like brick, stone or drywall.
A building that breathes makes for improved airflow and resists moisture, thus limiting mildew and mold, as well as potentially harmful bacteria that can lead to various respiratory and inflammatory health complications. And some hemp buildings are even considered to be carbon-negative complexes.
This means more carbon has been absorbed from the atmosphere by the hemp plants used to make the hempcrete than was created in the production and construction process. Néron fills in the gaps via an email interview: “These [hemp] crops are stocking more greenhouse gases than any other crop. It grows easily anywhere. Mix it with lime and clay and you get a super durable material resisting fire, humidity, earthquakes, floods, vermin and time decay. It provides better comfort and the best performance in any climate.”
He considers hemp to be THE revolutionary material that has potential to disrupt the very foundations of architecture and building design. Hemp is a tool to save our environment, jumpstart our economy, spare our health and rescue our farms. Their Kickstarter campaign ends in one week, show some support to help build a better world.
