Construction Tech: House Built from Hemp

If you are looking to build a home from a sustainable, inexpensive and quickly cultivated raw material, hemp may be the product for you. This new South African home was made almost entirely out of hemp, a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis. Carpets, cabinets, insulation you name it, almost everything in this home was built with hemp grown on only a few acres of land in just a few months.

Hemp cannot be used as a drug because it produces virtually no THC (less than 1%), where marijuana produces between 5 - 20 % THC.

TakePart:

This house is no unassuming, down-to-earth cannabis shack. The luxurious seven-room abode is considered South Africa’s most sustainable home.

The purpose of the house, reports Inhabitat, is to convince the South African government to remove legal obstacles for the commercial development of hemp. The country's authorities do not currently distinguish between hemp and the “dagga” plant, or marijuana.

The overarching goal for Tony Budden and architectural firm Perfect Places was to ensure the house had the smallest possible carbon footprint. Unfortunately, explains Inhabitat, most of the materials for the Hemp House had to be imported since hemp is not available locally in South Africa.

See more pics here.