At 308 10th St N, “The Hive”, GRD is exploring a build project unlike any other in the region. Two tiny home AirBnB units are being constructed- one unit with a “conventional”, entry-level building strategy using batt insulation, osb, house wrap and vinyl siding, and the other unit with a wood frame and cast-in-place hempcrete installed by Bismarck’s own Homeland Hempcrete.
The purpose of this project at The Hive is to compare the building and operating costs of a hempcrete v. a conventional dwelling, as well as the overall resilience/health of each type of dwelling. By collaborating with the Center for Energy & Environment and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute we are installing several sensors throughout each unit to measure moisture, temperature, air quality, and the amount of energy used to heat or cool each unit.
The information gathered will contribute to the growing field of hempcrete research, and will give us a better understanding of how we can optimize the hempcrete building sphere to be more competitive with the race-to-the-bottom, carbon and energy-intensive style of home building that we so often see in the market today.
By using these units as AirBnB’s we allow people to experience living in a healthy, sustainable, low-carbon structure with the hopes that this exposure will give people the confidence to choose hempcrete as it gains traction in the mainstream building industry. The Hive units will feature durable HempWood floors and energy efficient appliances for a highly functional space.
Collaborators: Matt Marino (Homeland Hempcrete), South Bend Hemp, HempWood, Jesse Hentges (Kadoun Hardwood Flooring), Riley Gordon (AURI), Alex Haynor (Center for Energy & Environment)
