Introducing Lifecrete: Bio-Masonry of the Future?
There is a lot of debate about the green-ness of traditional masonry products. While concrete homes are much more energy efficient than traditional wood homes, a lot of energy goes into the making of concrete, resulting in a sizable contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The makers of Lifecrete Ecomasonry, however, believe they have that problem solved and then some. Lifecrete is purported by its creators to go beyond mere carbon neutrality. It is, they claim, carbon-negative because the plant fibers within actually act as sequesters.
Lifecrete is a bio-composite, structural building material made from hemp core-fiber and a binder, itself made from MgO eco-cement. The industrial hemp is grown without pesticides, the MgO binder is the same cement used on the wall of China, and the product is entirely non-toxic and bio-compatible.
LifeBlock, a single Lifecrete unit, is similar to a traditional concrete masonry unit in shape, size, and application, although apparently no steel reinforcement is necessary. The long list of LifeBlock's green and structural advantages also includes characteristics such as no-VOCs, recyclable, renewable, load-bearing, breathable, and of course, energy efficient. Lifecrete products are also mold, insect, fire, and impact resistant.
In other words, Lifecrete has all the advantages of concrete, only it is green from start to finish. The website provides a few photos and one photo-log of a project involving Lifecrete. In terms of green building, so far it is hard to picture any product more inherently green than this one.
How it fares with builders and homeowners will ultimately determine its future. Details on cost are difficult to find, but Lifecrete has the advantage of eliminating the need for many of the building materials innate in conventional construction, including wood framing and insulation.