Ethan Wahl

HEMPLIME + FREE-FORM HYBRIDS

Sustainable Design Through Material and Computational Innovation

Ethan Wahl

As architects become more environmentally conscious, they are exploring alternative eco-friendly materials. This thesis integrates hemplime, a sustainable and carbon-negative material, with progressive computational design and fabrication techniques to create a research pavilion that showcases its potential capabilities. This research expands the knowledge on sustainable and carbonnegative materials by emphasizing hemplime’s benefits and promoting its adoption in future projects. Ultimately, this thesis aims to inspire architects to prioritize sustainability and consider innovative design strategies that utilize eco-friendly materials and structural efficiency, paving the way for a more sustainable and carbon-negative future in architecture.

SEEDS & FLOWERS

Animal Feed

Food Oils

Cosmetic oils

Healthcare Oils

Food

Pharmaceuticals

HURD/SHIV & BAST FIBER

Clothing

Paper

Pulp

Bio-composites

Insulation

Textiles

Animal Bedding

Cultivation

Mulch

Construction

LEAVES

Tea

Pharmaceuticals

Animal Feed

ROOTS

Soil Nutrients Revitalization

Soil Aeration

Medicine

Hempcrete Roof Insulation Hempcrete Flooring Insulation Hempcrete Interior Wall Ins Hempcrete Fire Resistance

Test

Prefabricated Hemplime load-bearing blocks

sulation Hempcrete Exterior Wall Finish

ISOLATED BINDER TESTS [B1-B6]

All that is required to create hempcrete (a.k.a hemplime) is hemp hurd (shown previously), lime, and water. The type and amount of each ingredient varies depending on it’s purpose, but the purpose of these isolated binder tests is to find the best strength to insulation ratio for a self-supportive structure.

The following tests exclude the hemp in order to be W to physically discern changes in the binder mix alone. Without a strong binder, the hemp cannot stay together.

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

RESULTS

The best mixes ended up being B3 and B4 with the only necessary changes being a compromise between the two, a B3.5 with less sand than 3. The inclusion of portland cement became necessary since Hydraulic Lime is significantly more difficult to obtain than Hydrated Lime. the inclusion of portland cement kickstarts the hydrated lime’s curing process, making it act similarly to a hydraulic mixture. It also makes the mixture stickier, although, more brittle.

HEMP:BINDER RATIO TESTS [H1-H6]

The next step in finding the perfect mix is to see how much hemp hurd can be included before the binder no longer holders the mix together. More hemp means higher insulation values, but more binder means more strength. The following 6 tests are to determine this optimal ratio.

H1

H2

H3

H4

H5

H6

RESULTS

While H3 had the best strength to insulation ratio and utilized no portland cement, it took the longest time to dry, making it not usable in the timeframe of this project. The best mix, therefor ends up being H4, which utilized a 1.5:1 binder:hemp ratio by weight. It dried within 3 days of being mixed, had the highest strength, and contained more hemp than binder by volume. With this, it will be the base model for the mass variety of bricks being produced in the future.