Foliage/Plants

Building with Foliage/Plants. What are the methods and benefits?

Learn more about the different methods and styles of building with Foliage/Plants. How are the methods and styles different and attributes what are the qualities and attributes of each method and style? 

The Foliage/Plant building method and styles described here are Hempcrete, Hempcrete Block, Strawbale, Bamboo, Wood Logs and Cordwood. Also learn a little about the pros and cons with each method and style.

Hempcrete or hemplime is a mixture of hemp, lime and sand. Like any great product it has been given many names. Hempcrete is easier to work with than traditional lime mixes and acts as an insulator and moisture regulator. It is a lightweight insulating material and ideal in most climates. In other words, Hempcrete combines insulation and thermal mass all into one product. Hempcrete walls are also fireproof, transmit humidity, and have excellent acoustic performance. 

Hempcrete has been used in France since the early 1990s and have now become popular in Canada.

It is normally used as infill (non-bearing walls) however recently blocks have been developed that can be used as load-bearing walls. Hempcrete is traditionally used similar to Rammed Earth using forms that are filled with Hempcrete on the construction site. 

In the United States, it might be a challenge to get permits for a traditional Hempcrete building.

Recently, the Hempcrete industry have developed Hempcrete Blocks that are prefabricated and brought to the construction site. Many of these blocks are made so that they can be used as load-bearing walls and are build similar to a masonry construction method. 

Traditional Hempcrete wall construction
Traditional Hempcrete Construction
Hempcrete Construction
Hempcrete Construction
Hempcrete Geodesic Dome
Hempcrete House
Hempcrete House
Hempcrete house

Pros

  • Green
  • Regenerable
  • Insulating
  • Thermal Mass
  • Can be shaped
  • Low Fire Hazard

Cons

  • Must Use Forms
  • Labor Intensive
  • Permits Could Be a Challenge in the US
  • Supply Issues in the US

Hempcrete or hemplime is a mixture of hemp, lime and sand. Like any great product it has been given many names. Hempcrete is easier to work with than traditional lime mixes and acts as an insulator and moisture regulator. It is a lightweight insulating material and ideal in most climates. In other words, Hempcrete combines insulation and thermal mass all into one product. Hempcrete walls are also fireproof, transmit humidity, and have excellent acoustic performance. 

Hempcrete has been used in France since the early 1990s and have now become popular in Canada.

Recently blocks have been developed that can be used as load-bearing walls. These blocks are prefabricated and brought to the construction site. They are stacked and build similar to a masonry building. 

In the United States it should be easier to get permits on a Hempcrete block building than a traditional Hempcrete building.

Hempcrete block
Hempcrete Block construction
Hempcrete block construction
Hempcrete block construction
Hempcrete house
Hempcrete house
Hempblock4
Hempcrete House
Hempblock7

Pros

  • Green 
  • Regenerable
  • Insulated
  • Thermal Mass
  • Easy to Build
  • Stackable
  • Low Fire Hazard

Cons

  • Supply must be transported to work site
  • Supply is limited
  • Supply issues in the US
  • Permit in the US could be a challenge

Strawbale houses are built with strawbales that are considered a byproduct. It has been used as building material for thousands of years. In addition, it is considered an inexpensive building material as it doesn’t have any edible quality. It has also been used as a mix with clay, earth and water which is called Cob. 

 The strawbale can be build both as load-bearing and non-load bearing. It is however most common in the Arizona that they are built as an infill structure. Which means there is a frame either built of wood or metal that it the structural part and the strawbales are filling up the space between the studs. Once the structure is built it is then covered with plaster (either earthen plaster or lime plaster) or stucco.

The thickness of the strawbale and the density makes then great insulating and thermal mass. In other words, strawbale construction is both energy efficient and comfortable year-round. 

 Strawbale are becoming more popular and building codes have been developed for Strawbale building in Southern Arizona.

Strawbale Construction
Strawbale Construction
Plastering of Strawbale house
Building with Strawbale
Strawbale House Interior
Strawbale house
Strawbale house

Pros

  • Renewable
  • Cost Efficient
  • Low Fire hazard
  • Biodegradable
  •  Insulated
  • Thermal Mass

Cons

  • Permitting
  • Moisture
  • Pests
  • Maintenance

Bamboo is in the grass family however it has the strength of strong softwood. It can be used to build scaffolding, bridges, and houses. In South Asia, East Asiam Central and South America it is considered a very common building material and have been used for thousands of years. 

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world which is why it is considered a renewable source of building material.  

There are structural design codes created with the first code being created in 2004. Before considering make sure to check the codes in your area and the supply chain. There are several companies that sell prefabricated bamboo houses that comes in panels easy to ensemble. 

 

Bamboo construction
Bamboo Construction
Bamboo Construction
Bamboo House Interior
Bamboo House
Bamboo House

Pros

  • Renewable
  • Flexible
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Permitting
  • Supply 
  • Transportation Cost

Wood Log buildings are built with horizontal log that are interlocked in the corners.  People have built with logs for thousands of years in wooded areas. There are basically two kinds of log houses either Sawn Logs (logs in their close to natural state) or Milled Logs (the wood manufactured and milled into timber). 

The Log Houses was originally hand crafted with axe and knife. It was one of the most popular building methods in Scandinavia and Northern Europe before fired brick was developed. When the settlers came to North America in the 17th century, they brought with them this building technique. Today there are many companies that sell prefabricated Wood Log Houses that are then reassembled on the building site. 

In areas that have no wood growth this method can be very costly. If building in a wooded area the cost will do down dramatically as there is little to no transportation cost involved. Northern Arizona like the White Mountain area is a perfect area for a Wood Log house. Southern Arizona would not be the best place for such a construction method. In conclusion, Wood Log house should really be a wood regional built.

Wood Log Construction
Wood Log Construction
Wood Log Construction
Wood Log Construction
Wood Log House Interior
Wood Log House
Wood Log House

Pros

  • Cost efficient in wooded area
  • Rustic feel

Cons

  • Expensive in none wooded area
  • Pest infestation like termites

Cordwood construction have many different names, just to list some of the names Cordwood Masonry, Cordwood Building, Stackwall Construction, Stovewood Construction. It is a method where short logs are piled with the ends of the log constructing the exterior and the interior. They then connected to each other using mortar or cob to secure them from sliding. 

Cordwood structures was first built thousands of years ago and remains of Cordwood structures still stand today in Eastern Germany

It is construction method that is best used in a wooded area. As the logs are short it is a relative cheap method as the wood pieces doesn’t need to be long and straight. It is even possible to use fallen trees and waste/unusable wood from sawmills. They can be built with the walls as thick as desired. In colder areas wall can be as thick as 36″ however the normal range is between 8″ and 24″ thick. Structures can be built as either load bearing or non-load bearing. 

 

Core Wood
Core Wood Construction
Core Wood Construction
Core Wood House
Core Wood House
Core Wood House

Pros

  • Relatively inexpensive
  • Using fallen logs
  • Great in Wooded areas
  • Thermal Mass

Cons

  • Not the best in none wooded areas
  • Pest like termites could be an issue