You’ve probably heard of ice hotels, but what about a hotel made of hemp. Well, we’re not quite there, but the Hemp Hotel in Amsterdam surely makes an affort. As MetroNews.ca reports:

Hemp Hotel – As the name suggests, hemp is the theme of the décor. There are five rooms all decorated with THC-free goods. The curtains, the bedding, the soap, the shampoo, even the breakfast are all made from hemp. Their Hemple Temple Night Bar serves up hemp ice cream, seeds and a dozen kinds of hemp beer. Only in Amsterdam!

So yeah, the idea is kind of cool, but it is in Amsterdam, which is a tourist’s marijuana haven. To that extent, you have to take the Hemp Hotel for what it is: a tourist gimmick.

In actuality, consierable advances in hemp technology are being made, specifically with hempcrete. In the UK, there has even been a house made of hemp, and not just decorated with it. And even when it comes to interior decor, you don’t have to go to Amsterdam to find hemp bedding.

It’s kind of disappointing how often one of hemp’s many uses is publicized, it’s alongside the plant’s psychoactive counterpart, marijuana. After all, the best chance that hemp has to be quickly entered into the mainstream so that we can all start enjoying its ecological and health benefits more easily is to completely disassociate it from it cousin narcotic.

A British company named BRE is organizing a building a construction conference for June, 2009, and it looks like the event is going to feature a house made of hemp. As Building.co.uk reports:

A house made from hemp and a dwelling by the Prince’s Foundation will be among the star attractions at the BRE’s Insite event in June 2009.

The event, called Insite 09: Constructing the Future, will include a building exhibition, a topical conference programme and an interactive indoor demonstration. The event aims to showcase the latest developments in design, technology, materials and building techniques.

In addition to a hemp house to demonstrate the benefits of renewable fuels and materials, the Innovation Park will include the Prince’s Foundation’s ‘natural house’, a sustainable home built from natural materials, as well as a health centre.

It makes perfect sense to see hemp being used as a construction material at a conference that’s exploring the use of renewable fuels and materials. Hempcrete, for example, is not just easier on the environment than the mining and chemicals production that goes into concrete. It can also be up to seven times stronger than concrete, weighs half as much, and is three times as elastic.

For more information on this building and construction event, check out the Insite09 page.

A stronger, and more environmentally friendly alternative to concrete, Hempcrete is just another way in which the hemp plant can be used. The material has been in use in Europe for about ten years now, but an upcoming symposium, organized by American Lime Technology and Olde World Exteriors, will be showcasing its potential stateside. As the press release explains:

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 8, 2008 — American Lime Technology and Olde World Exteriors are pleased to announce their upcoming architectural symposium on environmentally-friendly hemp and lime biocomposite building materials. This event, titled “Designing with Hemp and Lime Biocomposite,” will take place on November 12, 2008 in Montgomery, Texas and will feature world-recognized experts and practitioners in the field of sustainable design and construction. [...] There will also be onsite demonstrations of hemp and lime construction techniques, and attendees will enjoy a tour of the Hopewell Project, including the Pottery Studio and Chapel, which is the first Tradical® Hemcrete® building project constructed in the United States. [...]

While new to the American market, Hemcrete® has been used successfully in the United Kingdom and Europe for over ten years. This system, which relies on sustainably produced hemp shiv and lime binder, is being used to construct walls and to insulate floors and roofs, making it a low impact, sustainable and commercially viable construction method. The resulting buildings are thermally efficient, attractive, pest-resistant, fire-resistant, and durable, and these nontoxic, all-natural materials contain no harmful chemicals. Unlike typical new construction materials, hemp and lime are breathable, which discourages harmful mold growth while providing better air quality for the building’s occupants. Hemcrete® is also completely recyclable and can be converted to fertilizer at the end of a building’s lifespan.

There more information available at both the press release page and the symposium page. You can also find more information on the advantages of hempcrete on American Lime Technology’s Why Use Hempcrete® page. There is also a very good overview of various hemp-based building materials available from Natural-Environment.com.