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- Push HouseBehind these groundbreaking walls is an idea -- we should be free to live in an environment that is non-toxic; one that helps clean rather than contaminate the air, the earth, and our bodies. That was the pivotal point of my conversation with design/builder <a href="http://inhabitat.com/?attachment_id=164875">Anthony Brenner</a> on his house made from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2009/08/24/hemcrete-carbon-negative-hemp-walls-7x-stronger-than-concrete/">hemcrete</a> based on industrial hemp-- the first in the US. The home has seen a meteoritic rise in the media, with coverage by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2010/08/25/dnt.nc.hemp.house.wlos">CNN</a> and <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/09/hemp-houses-built-asheville/1">USA Today</a>, and even <a href="http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/monologue-91510/1249432/">late night TV</a>, but behind the headlines and punchlines shouting out about the latest and greatest green material is a home that fulfills the core concerns of an environmentally-sensitive habitat. With that lens his company <a href="http://www.pushahead.com/">Push Design</a> was able to build a great home that is sizable but incredibly light on the environment, energy usage, and total cost.1
- Push HouseLocated in Asheville, North Carolina, the 3,400 square foot Push House features a mainstream design with some very different systems behind its walls. The home's use of hempcrete was only the start.2
- Push HouseFor this application, hemp hurds are mixed with lime and water onsite and poured in-between the exterior supporting studs in lifts.3
- Push HouseThis forms the core of a breathable wall system -- Hemcrete is actually less like concrete and more like infill <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2007/10/25/hoks-leed-gold-certified-straw-bale-building/">straw bale</a>, as it is non-structural.4
- Push HouseThe insulating quality is r-2.5 per inch, and it has the unique ability to capture airborne pollutants over time -- it absorbs carbon when it is grown and in place. The material's high thermal mass helps keep a steady interior temperature as well.5
- Push HouseThe interior walls are made from <a href="http://www.paragonpanels.com/purepanel.php">Purepanel</a>, another unique product that is made from recycled paper. It consists of a rigid skin with a corrugated paper core, just like <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/09/corrugated-fiberboard-house-make-great-use-of-waste-material/">cardboard</a>.6
- Push HouseThe project also features 30 window frames that have been salvaged and fitted with high tech glass. They were placed to get the most <a href="http://inhabitat.com/daylighting/">daylighting</a> without overheating the space. An open floor plan helps the light penetrate deep into the home as well.7
- Push HouseThe energy-efficient wall system is coupled with a super efficient 21 SEER air-based heat pump to effectively heat and cool the home without a huge outlay of money in equipment.8
- Push HouseAll of this pays off in a home that costs little to run, and it ended up costing a respectable $133 per square foot to build.9
- Push HouseAlthough some compromises were made, like introducing petroleum-based foam products into the ceiling and foundation, the home exemplifies how health, energy and design can all exist in sync.10
- Push HouseAnthony is looking forward to building some smaller homes using the same <a href="http://inhabitat.com/materials/">materials</a> after getting through the learning curve of using Hemcrete. In the end, he says he will only build houses that are safe enough for his own daughter to live in.11
- Push HouseGreat details throughout-- like the slate-walled bath.12
- Push HouseThe clean contemporary design shows how new materials can produce mainstream sustainable buildings.13
- Push HouseLocated in Asheville, North Carolina, the 3,400 square foot Push House features a mainstream design with some very different systems behind its walls. The home's use of hempcrete was only the start -- for this application, hemp hurds are mixed with lime and water on-site and poured in-between the exterior supporting studs in lifts. It is the core to a breathable wall system -- Hemcrete is actually less like concrete and more like infill straw bale, as it is non-structural....<br><br><a href='https://inhabitat.com/nations-first-hempcrete-house-makes-a-healthy-statement/'>READ ARTICLE</a>14