Archinect - News

Swedish companies unveil low-carbon wall system 60% lighter than traditional concrete

2024-03-15T12:45:00-04:00

A group of materials companies in Sweden has collaborated on a hybrid wall element with a lower carbon footprint than conventional concrete wall elements.

The joint venture, comprising concrete element manufacturer Heidelberg Materials Preca and engineered timber manufacturer Metsä Wood, is now rolling out the element for live construction projects.

Image credit: Heidelberg Materials Preca / Metsä Wood

The wall consists of a facade element in a sandwich construction with an outer layer made of 'climate-improved' concrete, intermediate insulation, and a load-bearing inner panel made of strong, material-efficient laminated veneer lumber. According to the group, the wall module has approximately 30–50% less of a climate impact than an equivalent traditional concrete wall while also being 60% lighter.

Image credit: Heidelberg Materials Preca / Metsä Wood

To test the wall, the team constructed a home using the elements. The structure was equipped with moisture sensors to monitor the wall ...

Researchers look at the possibilities of wood fly ash by-products as an alternative in rammed earth construction

2024-03-02T08:00:00-05:00

New findings published in the journal Construction and Building Materials from a team of materials researchers working at the University of British Columbia Okanagan's School of Engineering have demonstrated the sustainable qualities of using wood fly ash by-products as alternatives to traditional concrete additives.

The study was undertaken in light of some recent popularity of rammed earth construction in the architectural field, an ancient form of building whose mastery has propelled the 2022 Pritzker Prize winner Diébédo Francis Kéré and several others to prominence parallel with the industry's fight against climate change.

"Everything old is new again and that is precisely why we've been investigating rammed earth construction," Dr. Sumi Siddiqua explained to the UBCO news outlet. "There is an increasing demand for sustainable building products here in Canada and around the world, and materials like fly ash are just the start of a new and important trend."

Siddiqua’s team was...

Researchers use cellulose and algae to create 3D printed architectural material

2024-02-09T13:46:00-05:00

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have published their study into how materials made from nanocellulose and algae can be used as sustainable architectural materials. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, “shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods,” according to the team.

Nanocellulose, molecules consisting of hundreds or thousands of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, are already used in biomedicine to 3D print scaffolds for tissue and cell growth but have never been used in an architectural material. The researchers, therefore, mixed nanocellulose fibers and water with an algae-based material called alginate to produce a 3D printable material with architectural uses in mind.

“For the first time...

Construction input prices drop again for December, driven by declines in all sectors

2024-01-16T14:43:00-05:00

The latest Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) construction input price analysis for the month of December has registered a 0.6% decrease over November’s trend-reversing totals. Nonresidential construction input prices were down another 0.4%, with the commercial and multifamily sectors declining by 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively.

Overall construction input prices are now 1.2% higher than a year ago, and nonresidential construction input prices are another 1.6% higher. The price of softwood lumber has notably fallen by 14.6% in a 12-month span, joined by a substantial decline in the price of natural gas, which was down some 60.5% in the same time period.

Chart credit: Associated Builders and Contractors

“Construction input prices fell sharply in December,” ABC’s Chief Economist, Anirban Basu, said in a news release. “While plunging oil prices are the primary factor behind the sharp decline, most input prices were tame in 2023’s final month. That serves as a fitting end to a year du...

Drexel team uses bacteria to create self-healing concrete

2023-12-29T11:40:00-05:00

A team from Drexel University has published their research into a self-healing system for concrete. The team, operating in the University’s College of Engineering, embedded bacteria in their concrete system that, when activated by water, can repair cracks in the concrete.

Named ‘BioFiber,’ the Drexel system sees a polymer fiber encased in a bacteria-laden hydrogel and a protective, damage-responsive shell. A grid of BioFibers embedded in a concrete structure can improve the system’s durability, prevent cracks from growing, and enable self-healing, according to the research published in the journal Construction and Building Materials.

The team was inspired by the ability of human skin tissue to self-heal, and the ability of vascular systems to help organisms heal their own wounds. The team identified a strain of Lysinibacillus sphaericus bacteria as a bio-healing agent for the fiber, which is found in soil and can produce a stone-like material capable of healing exposed cracks in con...

Architecture's top green projects and sustainability innovations in 2023

2023-12-27T20:28:00-05:00

Wrapping up a year in the wake of the recently concluded COP28 UN climate summit that resulted in, well, mild levels of agreement on the role of fossil fuels, it is possible to sense a slightly increased urgency toward this most pressing planetary issue on a high-minded diplomatic level. As we're quickly approaching the quarter mark of the 21st century, however, much more concrete action and innovation in various sectors of the AEC domain is needed — and is already happening — on the ground level as well, as we have seen in our reporting on Archinect.

Continuing with our 2023 Year in Review series, let's take a look back at some of the story highlights focusing on decarbonization efforts, material research, policy implementation, and successful applications of sustainability principles this year.

Building Electrification

Energy-efficient heat pump technology is gaining in popularity. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Øyvind Holmstad.

The process of gradually phasing out fossil f...

Better green materials are still needed to trigger a revolution in the building sector, experts say

2023-12-14T13:56:00-05:00

Repeated calls for the decarbonization of architecture are sometimes met with criticisms as to their lack of substance, and in some cases, practicality or overall feasibility, Canada's National Observer tells us.

The only mycelium binders on the market are, for example, unsuitable to certain weather conditions, according to Yale Center for Ecosystems and Architecture’s Mae-ling Lokko. Other products like composite wood materials can contain formaldehyde, which puts a damper on the new heights mass timber designs are reaching in Europe and North America. The current limitations of bio-concrete, hemp, and algae materials are also well-known.

To enact a truly revolutionary turn, both additional investments into developing new alternative products and a better understanding of a building’s end-of-life recyclability are needed, Lokko and Naomi Keena of McGill University's School of Architecture told the paper.

Canada and its vast reserves of agricultural waste derived from applicable c...

University of Maryland researchers develop 'cooling glass' that can redirect a building's heat into space

2023-11-17T11:54:00-05:00

Researchers aiming to combat rising global temperatures have developed a new 'cooling glass' that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space. The new technology, a microporous glass coating, can lower the temperature of the material beneath it by 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon, and has the potential to reduce a mid-rise apartment building's yearly carbon emissions by 10 percent.

The technology was developed by a research team at the University of Maryland, led by Distinguished University Professor Liangbing Hu in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The coating functions by reflecting up to 99% of solar radiation to prevent buildings from absorbing heat. It emits heat in the form of longwave infrared radiation into space. The phenomenon is known as radiative cooling, in which space serves as a heat sink for the buildings.

According to the research team, their glass is more environmentally stable than previous attempts at cooling coatings. The glass can be applied to a variety of surfaces, such as tile, brick, and metal, which makes it scalable and available for wide use. The researchers envision the new material as a key contributor to the solution to climate change due to its potential to reduce a structure’s energy usage and carbon footprint. The team is now working to further test the glass and understand its practical applications.

...

October sees construction costs decline

2023-11-16T17:28:00-05:00

A new Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of statistics provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data has shown a slight decline in construction input prices of 1.2% for the month of October.

Per ABC’s analysis, Construction input prices are 1.1% lower than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are recorded as being another 0.7% lower. Prices fell in 2 of the 3 energy subcategories last month, propelled by a drop in crude petroleum input prices of 2.9%. Unprocessed energy materials were also recorded to be down 0.3%, while natural gas prices rose 10.9% in October. Iron and steel prices also fell by 2.3% on the month overall.

Only inputs to Industrial projects and multifamily housing construction was shown to have risen year-over-year, according to the ABC.

“The October construction materials prices report should be cheered by most contractors,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said of the report. “Yesterday’s Consume...

Provencher_Roy uses recycled glass material to complete Darwin Bridges reconstruction in Montreal

2023-11-02T13:45:00-04:00

Provencher_Roy has shared photos following the firm’s completion of a bridge reconstruction project in Nuns’ Island, Montreal.

The new Darwin Bridges makeover represents the first instance of Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP), a recycled glass product developed with researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke and the City of Montreal, being used in an architectural design worldwide.

The project succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44 tons, while using over 88,000 pounds of locally sourced recycled glass (the equivalent of 70,000 wine bottles). A green space was enacted in a void created by removing the existing central median strip, and safety lighting has been installed to prevent tunnel sensation.

Image © Stephane Brugger

“The concept was always there, but the design and construction standards of the time favored the automobile. For this project, we were therefore working in a paradoxical 1960s context, on an innovative urban project to improve the user experience, while a...

SOM unveils new algae-based Bio-Blocks technology at the Chicago Architecture Biennial

2023-09-29T14:01:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has debuted a new concrete alternative material as part of its participation in the fifth Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 5), which is taking place now through February 11th at multiple locations citywide.

The firm’s Bio-Blocks technology is being presented as a replacement for traditional Concrete Masonry Units (or CMUs) and can reduce emissions on a project by up to 8% if used at scale. The blocks were fabricated with help from Prometheus Materials using microalgae that were then subject to the company’s patent-pending photosynthetic biocementation process. The results seen therein offer a one-metric-ton total offset, according to the product team.

Image © Dave Burk | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Displayed in a spiral construction courtesy of the International Masonry Institute and J&E Duff, Inc., in The Mews space at their 167 Green development in the city’s Fulton Market District, the product demonstrates its future potential as a building...

Hike in fuel costs drives first increase in construction input prices in six months

2023-09-18T08:00:00-04:00

Construction input prices ticked up 1.5% in August, the first increase in six months, due to a surge in energy costs, according to a new Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released Thursday.

These readings come as a shock as the flattening of costs suggested that inflation was cooling. According to a separate analysis from the Associated General Contractors of America, a major increase in diesel fuel costs in August drove the overall increase in materials prices. The producer price index jumped 34.6% last month, which is the largest one-month hike since 1990. In addition, other construction materials such as concrete and switchgear also experienced price increases.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chief economist Anirban Basu expects future readings to demonstrate excess inflation as labor costs continue to rise, aggressive spending continues, oil-producing nations limit output, and global supply chains reorganize.

MIT researchers create strong, ultra-light architected materials using kirigami techniques

2023-08-24T14:02:00-04:00

Researchers at MIT have developed a lightweight architected material inspired by the cellular structures found in natural materials such as honeycombs and bones. Produced with techniques borrowed from the Japanese kirigami paper-cutting technique, the strong metal lattices are lighter than cork while also holding customizable mechanical properties.

Image courtesy of the researchers via MIT

Using kirigami techniques, the MIT team led by Professor Neil Gershenfeld of the Center for Bits and Atoms has produced plate lattice structures on a larger scale than was previously possible. The structures are described as "steel cork" by Gershenfeld due to their lightweight nature combined with high strength and stiffness.

“To make things like cars and airplanes, a huge investment goes into tooling. This manufacturing process is without tooling, like 3D printing. But unlike 3D printing, our process can set the limit for record material properties,” Gershenfeld said in a statement.

Image courtesy...

University of Michigan researchers detail new 3D printed upcycled sawdust material for formwork

2023-08-22T13:09:00-04:00

A recyclable alternative material developed by researchers at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning’s Digital Architecture Research & Technology (DART) Laboratory is providing builders with a more sustainable way of applying concrete casts in the construction process in order to cut down on waste and the environmental impact of projects using the method.

The fully biodegradable BioMatters material is made from sawdust that’s collected and used via robotic 3D printing in the formwork of buildings, an essential element that currently constitutes 40% of all concrete-related construction expenses industry-wide, according to DART.

Image courtesy Tharanesh Varadharajan, Zachary Keller, Muhammad Dayyem Khan/DART Lab

"Other sawdust-based solutions are using other petroleum-based polymers — we use biopolymers which are completely decomposable," DART researcher Muhammad Dayyem Khan said, adding that the formwork, once the concrete has cured, can be full...

Leveling construction material costs and supply chain relief may signal inflation cooling, new report finds

2023-08-14T16:55:00-04:00

The latest Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data indicates that increasingly stable construction materials prices and recent supply chain improvements over the past few months may signal "positive economic outcomes" within the United States, Construction Dive reports.

"Goods prices continue to stagnate in the context of improved supply chains and a sluggish global economy," ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu explained in the analysis. "It has been the improvement of supply chains that best explains recent positive economic outcomes in the U.S. economy. As supply chains have normalized, unmet demand has been more readily satisfied. That has propelled transactional volume and economic growth."

Image source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via the ABC (Aug 2023).

"At the same time," Basu continued, "the improved supply chain has helped push prices lower, contributing to the disinflation observable both in yesterday’...

Stanford research explores using plastic waste in construction

2023-07-28T14:20:00-04:00

Stanford University has published new research exploring the use of plastic waste in constructing roads and buildings. The research project, funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), identified that recycled glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite – a tensile plastic used extensively in car, boat, and plane parts – shows potential for repurposing in building applications.

The team, led by Stanford engineers Zhiye Li and Michael Lepech, incorporated computer modeling, scientific research, field data, and stakeholder interviews in their research, which was recently published in a white paper. They studied real-world applications such as the utilization of plastic waste for façade panels in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and pavement in a California Department of Transportation road project.

The research highlighted significant challenges in existing p...

Minneapolis’ attempt to curtail EIFS cladding is causing pushback from architects and builders

2023-07-24T18:37:00-04:00

These kinds of guidelines cite “sustainability,” but miss a larger point about housing in Minneapolis. While it’s true that some types of texture and massing look “cheaper” than others, there are legitimate questions about whether or not newer types of building materials — EIFS, metal cladding, and the like — are more climate friendly and affordable than other materials that seem more traditional.

EIFS (aka “synthetic stucco” or “Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems”) are but one material in the proposed bans put forth by city planning officials in Minneapolis recently in an attempt to formalize a set of 2014 guidelines.

EIFS capabilities have advanced beyond a widely-known early design flaw, namely their proneness to water infiltration, and could now be an inexpensive but vital weapon for builders in the effort to deliver housing rapidly to the city’s beleaguered market.

Termite mounds hold secrets for energy-efficient buildings, researchers find

2023-05-30T10:58:00-04:00

Researchers have uncovered a methodology for reducing energy consumption in buildings by studying the structure of termite mounds. Led by Lund University’s Dr. David Andréen and Nottingham Trent University’s Dr. Rupert Soar, the research suggests that the properties of lattice networks in termite mounds, known as an ‘egress complex,’ can be copied to optimize the interior climate of buildings.

“Here we show that the ‘egress complex’, an intricate network of interconnected tunnels found in termite mounds, can be used to promote flows of air, heat, and moisture in novel ways in human architecture,” said Andréen about the study, which was recently published in Frontiers in Materials.

Image credit: Dr. David Andréen

The team grounded their research in the egress complex of Macrotermes michaelseni termites in Namibia, which they observed appeared to promote moisture regulation and ventilation. The mounds are regarded as some of the world’s largest biological structures, capable of reachin...

Baking soda may help concrete absorb carbon, MIT researchers find

2023-04-11T11:54:00-04:00

New research from MIT has found that adding sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda, to concrete mixtures may make a significant dent in the material’s carbon footprint. The findings, published recently in the journal PNAS Nexus, also suggest that the addition of sodium bicarbonate may accelerate construction times through quicker concrete setting.

The research was led by MIT professors of civil and environmental engineering Admir Masic and Franz-Josef Ulm, MIT postdoc Damian Stefaniuk, doctoral student Marcin Hajduczek, and James Weaver from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute. With concrete production accounting for approximately 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and concrete being the world’s second most consumed material after water, the team sees innovation in the material’s environmental performance as being a key component to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Biden administration imposes 200% tariff on Russian aluminum imports

2023-03-01T11:55:00-05:00

The Biden administration issued another round of tariffs Friday on key industrial goods from Russia — including a 200% tariff on aluminum — as the country’s invasion of Ukraine crosses the one-year mark. Aluminum tariffs were announced in addition to $2.7 billion in new duties on many metals and raw materials from the country. The tariff rates on most metals and metal products will double from 35% to 70% beginning April, and target “a crucial revenue generating sector of the Russian economy”

Russia is behind China and India the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum and ranks fifth overall in terms of imports of the metal into the United States.

Architects and builders have only recently come out from under 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on certain countries by the Trump administration for reasons of “national security” (e.g. economic protectionism).

The tariffs will go into effect on March 10th. White House officials also cited an increase in Russian aluminum imports through much of last year.

Cost of construction materials remains 37% higher than pre-pandemic according to latest ABC analysis

2023-02-21T11:18:00-05:00

The price of construction materials rose 1.3% in January 2023 alone, according to new data by Associated Builders and Contractors. In addition to being 1.3% higher than December 2022 figures, the prices are also 4.9% higher than this time last year, the smallest annual increase since January 2021.

According to ABC’s analysis, derived from data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual increase has been driven by the cost of adhesives and sealants (up 13.4% annually), brick and structural clay tiles (up 12.9% annually), concrete products (up 14.8% annually) and gypsum products (up 10.7% annually).

Commodities that have seen the largest price decrease over the past 12 months include iron and steel (down 23% annually), lumber and wood products (down 12.3% annually), and softwood lumber (down 44.1% annually).

“Recent employment and retail sales reports indicate that the economy...

In praise of mud

2023-02-20T10:31:00-05:00

The material is essentially free, or at least locally available for a fraction of the cost of concrete...Mud construction contributes little to global warming. And concrete tends to be a gateway, once people can afford it, to another fossil-fuel-guzzling invention: air-conditioning.

Peter Schwartzstein explores the work of folks such as Clara Sawadogo, Francis Kéré and Salima Naji who are trying to rekindle an interest in materials and methods that have a long tradition in Africa and the Middle East.

Swiss researchers have developed a carbon-storing building insulation made from plant-based materials

2023-02-13T15:49:00-05:00

A Swiss research team from Empa's Building Energy Materials and Components Lab explores the potential for using raw, plant-based materials as insulation for buildings.

Led by scientist Dr. Jannis Wernery and researchers from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, the project is based on binding carbon dioxide in insulation materials, preferably waste products from agriculture and forestry, over the long term. This method aims to combat embodied greenhouse gas emissions in buildings by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon stored in biomass can be permanently fixed through the use of heat treatment.

The resulting material, known as biochar, can store carbon dioxide throughout the life of a building and be used again following the deconstruction of a building, reports Rémy Nideröst of Empa. However, Dr. Wernery explains, "there is still a lot to do before the idea can be put into practice."

The researchers must ensure that the new insulation materials can be used as a fe...

University of Chicago researchers develop ‘chameleon-like’ material that can regulate buildings by changing from solid to liquid

2023-02-08T12:30:00-05:00

Researchers from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have published details of a new material that can auto-regulate its environment by changing its infrared colors and liquid-solid state. In the future, the ultra-thin material film could be added to a building’s thermal facade in order to reduce the need for HVAC systems.

“Nearly 30% of the energy consumption and 10% of the greenhouse gas come from buildings,” says Chenxi Sui, a member of the research team whose findings have recently been published in the journal Nature. “Looking for diverse approaches to maintain a comfortable building temperature becomes a key point to creating a sustainable and carbon-negative future. Instead of controlling the indoor temperature in conventional ways, we keep wondering: Can we treat the building like the human body?”

Image courtesy University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.

The behavioral pattern of the new material has been likened to that ...

The University of Toronto announces new Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment backed by key industry leaders

2023-01-18T19:17:00-05:00

The University of Toronto’s School of Engineering has announced a new research center that will, together with its industry partners, work to find a viable solution to the growing need for public infrastructure that is in tune with the push for sustainability and concerns over climate change.

The school’s Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment is supported by KPMB Architects, ZGF, Arup, and eight other AEC firms whose future successes lie critically on the findings of a team of researchers that will be led by the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Infrastructure, Shoshanna Saxe.

According to the University: “The Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment brings together seven researchers from across U of T, as well as a dozen companies in construction and related industries. The goal is to identify strategies that will lower the environmental footprint of new infrastructure across the board by reimagining how they are designed, where they are built and even what materials ...

MIT and Harvard scientists uncover the key behind ancient Rome's 'self-healing' concrete

2023-01-10T12:44:00-05:00

A team of researchers from MIT and Harvard University, working with laboratories in Italy and Switzerland, has made progress in understanding how concrete used by the ancient Romans has lasted for millennia. The discovery, outlined in a new paper published in the journal Science Advances, centers on the ancient civilization’s use of white lime minerals in their concrete mix, which can “self-heal” the material over time.

The white chunks, often referred to as “lime clasts,” had previously been disregarded as evidence of poor mixing practices by the Romans, with researchers instead attributing the durability of ancient Roman structures to the use of volcanic ash in cement mixes. However, the latest findings suggest the lime clasts are, in fact, the ingredient that gave the concrete a self-healing capability.

“The idea that the presence of these lime clasts was simply attributed ...

In 2022, breakthroughs in 3D printing and material science challenged how we build, and what we build with

2022-12-22T08:00:00-05:00

2022 was another productive year in laboratories across the United States and beyond, as colleges, manufacturers, and startups strove to challenge the orthodoxy of construction materials. While teams of students and researchers at institutions from Virginia Tech to ETH Zurich sought to push the boundaries of traditional materials such as timber and concrete, disruptive startups sought to broaden this palette with the introduction of everything from recycled plastic to mushrooms.

These investigations into material science were matched by equally impressive advancements in construction processes, marking 2022 as a year that asked ‘how’ we build as well as ‘what’ we build with. As with previous years, 3D printing featured heavily in 2022’s highlights of intriguing construction innovations, be it new nano-structural 3D printed systems that can sense their own movement, or a growing portfolio of real-world 3D printed homes which signal the arrival of the once-novel process as a viable ma...

Penn State to study how fungal biomaterials can help reduce construction waste

2022-12-19T16:24:00-05:00

Researchers at Penn State are undertaking a study into whether fungal materials can replace traditional acoustic insulation funded by the 2022 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative. The team behind the effort, funded in 2021 by both an AIA Upjohn Research Initiative grant and a SOM Foundation Research Prize, is being led by assistant architecture professor Benay Gürsoy from Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture Stuckeman School - Department of Architecture.

The project is titled Fungal Biomaterials for Sustainable Architectural Acoustics and builds on Gürsoy and her team's work at Penn State’s Form and Matter (ForMat) Lab, whose specialty involves fabricating biodegradable building components using mycelium. The new research path will focus specifically on the acoustic absorption properties of mycelium, with the goal of designing and building acoustic panel prototypes to be tested in the built environment.

“Mycelium-based composites are renewable and biodegradable biomaterials tha...

Construction materials prices fell a percent in November in recent report

2022-12-12T14:02:00-05:00

According to a recently released analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), construction input prices have fallen 0.9% in November from October readings. Additionally, nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.8% in November.

Though the decline in materials prices is positive news, they are still up nearly 40% since February 2020. Construction input prices are up 11.9% from this time last year, with nonresidential construction input prices 11.5% higher. However, input prices increased in only four of the 11 subcategories on a monthly basis. Natural gas inputs saw the largest decrease in prices, falling 15.8% last month, while unprocessed energy prices dipped 7.8%, and crude petroleum prices declined 2.3%.

Graphic: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Associated Builders and Contractors

“The decline in wholesale prices for many construction inputs is generally positive news,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban...

Hempcrete has been added to the U.S. building code appendix

2022-12-05T15:22:00-05:00

For many years, industrial hemp was illegal in the US due to hemp’s association with drug use, despite the fact that it does not contain more than 0.3 percent THC [...] Building residential homes with hempcrete was therefore effectively outlawed until 2018, when the Farm Bill distinguished between hemp and cannabis plants. Then, in September 2022, hemp building materials were added to the model US residential building code, paving the way for legal use in 2024.

The International Residential Code (IRC) accepted a modified appendix in September that some are hopeful could be a catalyst for further adaptation throughout the building industry. Builders for Climate Action spokesman Chris Magwood says its greatest potential lies in commercial construction, though applications within residential design do present inherent challenges owing to drying times, insulation R-Values, and other factors.

Previously on Archinect: Hemp is about to take an outsized role in the building industry's push to go green

"I don't think that hempcrete will ever play a large role in the residential market," Magwood recently explained to Treehugger. "The fact that it is a composite material that uses a lime-based binder means that it is less insulative than other options and more expensive. Somebody has to mix, form, and cure the material, whether that happens on-site or in pre-fab units or blocks. To meet basic minimum code requirements in colder climates requires at l...