*Sergiy “Dr. Hemphouse” Kovalenkov is one of the most experienced global hempcrete builders. Photo courtesy Facebook*

By Moriah Slade

Through the sustainable use of Hemp, the Founder and CEO of Hempire.tech is leading the industry in creating a carbon-negative construction environment. Sergiy “Dr. Hemphouse” Kovalenkov’s love for the environment and passion for sustainable construction is driving Hempire quickly towards their goal of “Changing the World Naturally!”

During a presentation given by Sergiy at the Hemp Home Expo June 18, he guided participants through his metamorphosis in the construction industry.

Sergiy has worked in the construction industry across three different continents. Hempire’s innovative, hemp-based alternative construction materials have won numerous awards and the company continues to learn, grow and -- most importantly -- teach.

Sergiy’s career highlights also include: co-founder of the US Hemp Building Association and Head of the Ukrainian Cannabis Business Association.

Prior to his introduction to Hempcrete, Sergiy was what he would describe as a typical civil engineer. “I didn’t realize I was part of the problem.”

“[Our] focus was maximizing space. But some of the housing and buildings that we built to satisfy some building codes -- they were not suitable for the people. We were always forgetting that,” he said.

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After being introduced to hempcrete in Tasmania during his first ever house construction using this material, everything changed, he said.

“I was fascinated by this tech, my life changed right after that moment.” And changed it was. He began noticing the strain and negative impact traditional construction practices were having, not only on the environment, but the health of those living in traditional housing.

“We are very egocentric creatures. The amount of trash and waste we produce is fascinating … and overwhelming, and the construction industry is the biggest factor in all of this.”

As images of birds filled with plastic and garbage, polluted oceans and devastated forests slid across his presentation screen, he described the toll the traditional building mindset was taking. “Mother Nature is overwhelmed with our activities, and we are [beginning] to see in which way. The amount of forest being chopped down to produce local materials and the consequences that we suffer are only visible only afterwards,” he added.

A profit-oriented society will never be able to strive and advance; and it’s not we, but our children, who will be responsible for solving all of the questions and problems we are creating, he said.

He went on to display a chart showing the progression of required renewable resources over the last 50 years. With our current practices and use model, “based on our consumption, we currently need 1.7 planets to meet all of our ‘needs’ and as the population continues to climb, our non-renewable resources are being depleted.”

“Thirty percent of the carbon emissions are produced by the construction industry and is the largest pollutant source in the world,” Sergiy said. “Construction uses the never-ending cycle of trashy materials replacing the older trashy materials,” he added. “They create low quality material, while using energy and resources with a short lifespan of 20-30 years.”

One of the many side effects of using cheap, low quality material is the toxic internal home environment it creates.

“The types of stuff that we see growing behind the gypsum in our houses is quite detrimental to our health and the health of our children.” He pointed out the high rate of respiratory issues and diseases in North America, specifically in children.

But not so with hempcrete! “The solution?” Sergiy said. “Carbon negative hemp houses.”

“Obviously it was very very important for me to find out that there was hempcrete; and not just hempcrete but other materials that can be utilized today in different parts of the world quite safely and confidently.”

He started using hemp everywhere. “Hemp based renders, plasters, etc. He was the only one in Ukraine, at the time, building with hempcrete. “It was quite a difficult, concrete wall I had to penetrate through…(pun fully intended)…to find more clients and believers in this tech,” he said. As years went by Hempire was able to gain more traction and experience with their insulation projects.

After Hempire was founded in 2015 in Kiev, the company developed an all-natural hemp binder called the 5th Element. The binder is only produced with local raw materials. They found a way to use only Ukraine based, renewable products and later expanded into North America with their U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles.

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Hempire, in a constant effort to stay true to their goal of “Changing the World Naturally.” has been trying out different designs and approaches to the use of hemp in construction. One of their greatest design discoveries to date? The Dome Design.

Hempcrete domes designed and built by Empire. Photo courtesy Sergiy Kovalenkov — *Hempcrete domes designed and built by Hempire. Photo courtesy Sergiy Kovalenkov*

Sergiy said that right after they completed their first dome house project, the industry for them took off.

“It is a trickier design, but the benefit of the dome house is fascinating in terms of the load-bearing capabilities. Whether there is a center supporting structure or not, there is still a great amount of load security. The energy efficiency of the design saves a significant amount of money and the overall internal climate is much more comfortable,” he said.

Sergiy showed off the durable, sustainable and revolutionary behavior of hempcrete in a virtual project tour.

The showcase included homes built in the dead of Ukrainian Winter (at temperatures -30c or -22F), old Soviet reinforced concrete buildings lined with frost and 3-day projects built on trailers and overnight countertops for exposition.

”The hempcrete tensile and shear strength [has been] amazing,’” he said.

Vapor permeability of the hempcrete allows moisture to be held and released in a way that preserves the integrity of the product as well as the materials around it.

An image of several exposed blocks of hempcrete sat on the screen for a moment as he described a five-year materials experiment.

“This stack of unrendered, uncovered hempcrete is fully exposed to snow, sun and rain,” he said. “For me, this answers all the questions…if this material is left unprotected and its holding its shape after year, I am really confident this can hold up really, really well for another 50, 60, 70 years.”

In the last five to six years, Hempire, led by Sergiy, has been able to complete around 60 projects and have begun expanding into larger houses as well.

“In two weeks we are hosting a workshop with a private school. Children grades 3-7 will be building a hempcrete house with us,” he said.

“I want the message to all the builders and architects, if children can build with this material, I think you guys can figure it out.”

Hempire has ongoing initiatives and projects they would love to collaborate with investors and clients on, including fundraising to establish three hemp processing multi-functional facilities in Ukraine, the US and Asia. Sergiy and his team can be contacted at www.hempire.tech and info@hempire.tech

Moriah Slade holds a Masters in Public Health and is currently a student at the Institute of Functional Medicine Coaching Program.

Find videos from the June 18 Hemp Home Expo HERE.