Flat House / Practice Architecture + Material Cultures. Image © Oskar Proctor
Every time we publish an article about Hempcrete, we get a lot of comments on social media – with a certain level of irony – about what would happen if the material caught fire. This is actually a legitimate question, as there is still a lot of confusion about the differences between marijuana and hemp, both of which come from the same plant species (Cannabis Sativa). But while marijuana has psychoactive effects due to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mainly present in the flowers of the plant, hemp-based building materials are produced from its stem, which contains small doses of THC. To quickly answer the title question: no, the building won’t be destroyed in the event of a fire. In fact, some tests have shown that these materials have excellent behavior against fire, dissipate flames, maintain structural integrity, and don’t emit toxic smoke.