Episode 109: Building with Hemp

Kim Croes started her hempcrete company, FiberFort, in Detroit, Michigan with the hopes of making a positive impact on the earth. Currently a painter, she is making her transition into natural building practices. Kim started her training and education of hempcrete in January 2021 and is now certified for spray and hand-cast application by the companies Hempitecture and Americhanvre. FiberFort is set to start the first hempcrete house this July in Chelsea, Michigan. Alex Escher is the Director of Hemp Fiber Applications at Escher Design, Regional Leader of the US Hemp Building Association (USHBA), Founder of Hemp Hollow Processing, and member of ASTM D37.07. An entrepreneur with a keen eye for disruptive industries, he joined the Vermont-based architecture firm, Escher Design, to help develop cost-effective applications using hemp bio-composites. In 2017, the firm went on to build the first permitted hempcrete structure in Denver, Colorado. Currently, the firm has numerous hemp-based projects in several states including Vermont, Colorado, Missouri and New York. With the USHBA, Alex serves on the supply chain, certification, and education committees.