This week in New York, the International Code Council (ICC) approved Hemp-lime (Hempcrete), Proposal_RB316-22 for the International Residential Code (IRC). This is the first step toward the ICC’s formal adoption of hempcrete as an officially recognized residential building material!
The US Hemp Building Association (USHBA) has been working towards this goal for years and very intensively since last October. Hundreds of hours have gone into the work and it has been an intense process, but we are very excited about this historic moment and the giant stride for hemp-lime construction in the US.
The approval of this proposal triggers a public review process that will continue until June 20, 2022. The ICC will make a final determination at the September 14-21, 2022 Public Comment Hearing, in Louisville, KY.
Click here to learn more about the Proposal RB316-22, why it matters, and how you can submit public comments if you have suggested amendments.
This effort was only possible with the generous donations provided to the US Hemp Building Foundation. Thank you to everyone who supported the effort including large donations from Environmental Living Industries, MPactful Ventures, and Grassroots Development LLC.
Here’s the team of hemp building advocates who testified at the ICC committee hearing:
- Martin Hammer – A lead code consultant on the proposal, Architect
- Bob Escher AIA – Founding President of the USHBA and President of Escher Design
- Alex Escher – Director of Hemp Fiber Application at Escher Design
- Anthony Dente – The lead engineer on the proposal from Verdant Structural Engineers
- Tom Rossmassler – President and CEO of Energia and Chief Embodied Officer of HempStone
- Tim Callahan – Design Engineer, General Contractor, Founder Callahan Home Design
- Anthony Néron – DuChanvre, Canada
- Jacob Waddell – Executive Director, US Hemp Building Association
- Kiko Thébaud – A primary author and proponent for the proposal, founder Thébaud LLC
- Sally Warren – Board-Certified Naturopath and Member Build Green Now
- Henry Gage, Jr. – Director of Certifications, US Hemp Building Association, founder of Build Green Now
The writing team of Kiko Thébaud, Mary Dempsey, Cameron McIntosh, Gary Fox, Matt Marino, and Jacob Waddell guided by the incredible consulting and engineering team of Martin Hammer, David Eisenberg, and Anthony Dente carefully crafted this document over 4 months. Gathering input from experts around the world, including 4 civil or structural engineers, 4 architects, 15 hemp-lime builders, 6 industry representatives, an academic researcher, an energy expert, and 2 code experts.
