University in bid to build house of hemp

Researchers on the north coast of New South Wales are hoping to build houses made from hemp bricks. However, the makers of the new bricks are going to great lengths to make sure the location of their hemp crop stays under wraps.

Keith Bolton from Southern Cross University in Lismore has been involved with trials of low-THC hemp and says he has a bumper crop, due to the north coast’s good growing conditions.

So far, the trials have used hemp as a way to soak up the water created during sewage treatment. Dr Bolton says this year’s trial is bound to yield a lot of hemp. “We’re going to be planting about 2.5 million hemp plants this year,” he said.

With such a bounty, Dr Bolton now wants to build on his success and create hemp bricks. “It’s got the same structural integrity, it’s a lot lighter and it’s got much better insulation qualities,” he said.

The secret brick-making experiment begins next month.