BUILDING GREEN: LOCAL COMPANY USING HEMP CONCRETE

MONTGOMERY -- Hemcrete could be the building material of the future --
or the past, depending on how you look at it.

"It's ironic how for a long time we were told that concrete is the
best material for building walkways, and now its turned back to paving
stones," said Gail Moran, owner of Old World Exteriors, a building
company.

"We're cycling back to that traditional look and feel because it works
better in some cases than the newer technology."

Hemcrete, a building product made of hemp fiber and a lime binding
agent, is another example of this irony.

The growth and cultivation of hemp, a cousin to the marijuana plant
that lacks the latter's psychoactive effects, is prohibited in the
United States.

The first records of hemp cultivation and industrial use are from
China, where the species most likely originated, according to a United
States Department of Agriculture report. Migrating peoples likely
brought hemp to Europe where, by the 16th century, it was widely
distributed.

Hemp currently is grown in Canada.

Moran made her career building commercial structures in The Woodlands
through a company named Caribe Properties. Although she built modern,
functional buildings, her heart yearned for an older, traditional
aesthetic created with natural materials.

While researching lime washes to create that quintessential European
villa look, she found out about Hemcrete, which has been successful as
the material for about a dozen buildings in the United Kingdom.

She said she knew immediately she wanted to be the first builder to
try it in the United States.

On Monday, crews were hard at work mixing the hemp fiber with the lime
in mortar mixers until it took on a look and texture similar to damp
cedar chips.

Moran is using the material to construct a pottery studio and chapel
adjacent to a courtyard, caretaker's house and metal garage on her
property.

Hemcrete eliminates the need for both sheet rock and insulation,
creating 12-inch thick, yet breathable, walls on a wooden frame.

The material corners all three aspects of green building; it's energy
efficient, nontoxic and made from natural materials, she said.

On Monday, the chapel walls and ceiling were up and the interior was
cool and peaceful. The thick walls almost eliminated the construction
racket outside.

Moran said she feels strongly about the material.

"I am so desperately wanting to make a difference in the way we
currently build," she said. "I would like to see more people use
natural products. I think they're better for us and they look better."