*Hempitecture partners Tommy Gibbons (L) and Mattie Mead (R). Photo courtesy of Hempitecture.*

By Jean Lotus

Idaho-based Hempitecture, Inc. are the recipients of a $1.1 M grant from the state of New York to develop and manufacture innovative bio-based insulation products using regionally grown industrial hemp fibers, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

The project will measure the performance, greenhouse gas emissions, and costs associated with the loose-fill low carbon insulation, made of hemp. Product demonstration and manufacturing assessment will be in the Grow-NY Region, the company said.

In June, the state awarded $13 million in Round 1 of the Natural Carbon Solutions Innovation Challenge. Hempitecture advanced to Round 2 of the challenge, which will award more than $13 million for projects that mitigate the impacts of extreme heat and reduce building emissions with a focus on providing direct benefits to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, including disadvantaged communities, the Governor’s office said.

“NYSERDA is extending capital to partially fund the financing of this facility with the idea that when we're further along, we'll bring in private capital as well,” co-founder Tommy Gibbon told HempBuild Mag in April. The company is in the midst of a 1-year $5m equity raise through the crowd-funding site Wefunder.

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Hempitecture won $500,000 at Cornell University's Grow New York competition in 2022, setting the stage for a new east-coast facility in either the Finger Lakes or Western NY regions in 2025, Gibbons told HempBuild Mag.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Each year New York faces the challenges and risks associated with more frequent extreme heat events, which this new round of funding is designed to address. We are excited to follow the progress of awarded projects and to see the new solutions brought forward with potential for lowering emissions that contribute to the ever-changing climate and reducing demands on the grid during times of excessive heat.”

International Partnership with Saint Gobain

In April, the company announced that it was one of six startups chosen to partner with international materials company Saint Gobain through an incubator program with Boston-based Geentown Labs.

“We’ll explore how the two companies would partner together,” Gibbons said. “We’ll present to a lot of their internal business units,” he predicted.

In addition, the company is rolling out new products including a hemp FiberPad carpet underlay and a “Plant Panel” continuous insulation board in sizes ¾ inch and 2” thick.

The company is also working on a fire-rated product for its insulation batts “HempWool+” with fire testing through ICC-ES.

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