Category Biofiber Wall System

Entries 3 Total

Biostruct a business enabling Alberta to think global and act local

Jan 13, ’12 2:57 PM

As featured in the Alberta Biomaterial Development Centre newsletter.

Think global and act local was a message from ABDC’s event Green Building – Marketing to the Masses.

Acting on global issues such as the economic crises and environmental problems can seem intimidating but we are fortunate to live in Alberta where local companies are making the acting on these issues much easier. ABDC had the chance to speak with Shayne Korithoski from Biostruct, a Calgary company about their role in enabling Albertans to think global and act local.

Hi Shayne, can we start the interview by learning about Biostruct?

Yes, Biostruct is focused on manufacturing and distributing biomass-based building products. For our initial projects, we are also involved in the development and building of the projects. Biostruct’s philosophy is built around our business model the vision of the Triple Bottom Line. We see ourselves as a “bright green” company that combines innovation, design and entrepreneurial leadership in an ecological economy.

Can you explain what the Triple Bottom Line means?

No problem, a Triple Bottom Line approach means we view our success in terms of our social, environmental and fiscal performance. Biostruct believes that wealth can’t be measured in purely monetary terms, so we are committed to working on projects that create healthy and happy families and environments.

Perfect Shayne, so how did Biostruct begin?

Biostruct, or as it was originally named Canamo Enterprises, began as a research project I undertook, together with architect Andrew Mackie, after I began working at Riva’s Eco Store www.rivasecostore.com , a Calgary-based business owned by Andrew and his wife, Riva. The store’s green building is unique in Calgary and we were looking for ways to become more involved with local initiatives and help the local green building manufacturing sector.

I am aware that your main product ingredient is hemp but I am curious what ignited the idea to focus on hemp?

The idea of focusing on hemp grew out of our investigation of the European building industry as well as our interest in working with renewable biomass as opposed to mainstream synthetics and hydrocarbons. This preference stemmed from environmental issues and the health concerns of occupants and workers within the building, where there is considerable potential for off-gassing from synthetic products. The biomass hemp produces, remains largely unexplored in our part of the world, and the fact that it grows well in our climate is a real bonus for our business.

Shayne, can you provide some examples of the products that use hemp and where they can be
applied in a building structure?

Our main product, WallCore pictured right, is currently in the research and development phase, is made from a ceramic cement binder, using industrial hemp shiv and flax fibre. WallCore can be used in prefabricated structural insulative panels (SIP’s) for wall, roof and floor. We are currently finalizing projects for next year for WallCore.  We also have a line of hemp-lime insulating plasters that can be used in retrofits of old masonry buildings or used on exterior walls of natural building projects.

Thank you for the interview Shayne, do you have anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Yes, ABDC is a leader in the development of biomaterials in Canada and we very much appreciate being able to work with you.  The accessibility of the facility, the fibre processing plant in Vegreville, is the only one of its kind in North America and it is a real advantage for us.  The building sector is very risk-adverse and collaboration is essential to the success of a business promoting and distributing new building products.

Visit: www.albertabiomaterials.com for more info on ABDC.

 

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A New Paradigm in Building

Oct 3, ’11 11:01 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: Shayne Korithoski

Bio-material development is catching on everywhere—Europe has been at the forefront of research for the last 25 years and North America is finally starting to catch up. Here in Canada, there is now a keen interest in an industrial hemp fibre industry. It has been legal for Canadians to grow hemp since 1998, but the focus was previously only on food development. Over $8 million dollars worth of hemp food products were exported from Canada in 2009 alone.

Hemp’s potential as a building material has been gaining more attention in the last 3 years–advancing in France, particularly, and more recently in Ireland and England as well. However, the technique of using hemp and lime in buildings is centuries old. Hemp bio-masonry materials are produced from using hemp shiv (the woody core of the plant) and a mineral binder such as natural lime. Hemp buildings have been shown to be highly insulative, fire and mold resistant, extremely durable and carbon neutral. As a fibre, hemp is superior to other agricultural crops in terms of biomass; comparing it to wheat, for example, we find hemp yields triple the amount of fibre per hectare (and sequesters 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare as well).

Many green building experts predict that–due to continuing decline of worldwide timber quality and availability, as well as the increasing costs of labour and energy–prefab and SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) construction will become increasingly popular and cost-effective over the next 10 years. At the same time, a campaign to develop healthy materials for the green building industry is gathering steam. Currently, most SIP products contain styrene and/or spray-foam. Yet styrene (along with formaldehyde) was recently added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “Report on Carcinogens” earlier this year. Disocyanate chemicals used in spray-foam insulation are also being investigated for toxicity by both the U.S. EPA and health agencies in Europe, with the potential outcome being a ban or restriction on them. Bio-materials can be developed using non-toxic binders, but unfortunately not all manufacturers are choosing them. It is quite common to come across board and/or sheeting products that were produced using flax or hemp and subsequently combined with a binder containing formaldehyde. These developments underscore the need for new products that are free of these chemicals. There is also a push from both the U.S. & Canada Green Building Councils and the Cascadia Green Building Council for “nutrition-fact” type labels on building materials themselves. Recently the Cradle to Cradle system, Pharos Lens and the Declare label have been created to bring more transparency to the building industry. The use of such labels will no doubt lead to a greater demand for more non-toxic, locally made materials and systems, especially within the LEED and Living Building Challenge programs.

The old economy largely abandoned local manufacturing in favour of exporting jobs overseas because of cheap labour and cheap oil; now those jobs are starting to come back. But not enough attention has been given in the past to looking at where the materials are coming from and how they are made. The case of imported toxic drywall in 2008 is a perfect example of how something tragic can happen when the manufacturing is sub-contracted out and the company marketing & distributing the product does not oversee what is going into it—most houses made with the hydrogen-sulfide contaminated drywall had to be demolished. This was a real shame and we cannot afford to have it happen again. By relocalizing manufacturing, we can have greater control over quality and can ensure the production of non-toxic, healthy building materials. An added bonus will be the creation of many meaningful green jobs. The bio-material industry is perfectly positioned to help bring this new paradigm into fruition. When we keep industries local, carbon emissions are reduced, local farmers are assured demand for their fibre crops, and local economies start to emerge.

Stay tuned as we develop our new hemp bio-masonry SIP product; we will keep you posted with updates, here on our blog.

 

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BENEFITS OF BUILDING WITH BIOSTRUCT EARTHEN WALL SYSTEMS

Apr 24, ’11 9:33 PM

Health – Structures built with hemp masonry, also known as “hempcrete” are non-toxic (do not “off-gas”) and resist mold and mildew formation

Comfort – The thick Biostruct walls provide high R-value insulation and maintain stable indoor humidity levels and temperature

Durability – Masonry walls have been shown to last 100 years or more. Mixed with lime and other aggregates, hemp masonry is fire-resistant and extremely strong.

Environmental – A highly sustainable crop that is harvestable in just 120 days, hemp yields four times as much useable fibre per acre as trees. “Carbon-negative” hemp also sequesters CO2 very efficiently as it grows.

Cost-effectiveness – A fast-growing and versatile crop, hemp has an unrivaled high fibre and biomass yield. Hemp masonry is highly insulating and energy-saving, with minimal maintenance costs.

Beauty – Walls are finished with traditional plasters that have a subtle, natural beauty that modern synthetic finishes can only attempt to mimic. Biostruct walls are suitable for use in all types and styles of design. The thicker, heavier walls give the building a more quiet, solid feel.

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