Pre-fabricated hemp building solutions will get special attention at this year’s 10th edition of the International Hemp Building Symposium, set for Lacapelle Marival, France, Oct. 11-12, 2022.

One of the world’s most influential architecture firms is proposing using carbon-sequestering hemp as a vital part of the international built environment of the future.

Belgian hemp block maker IsoHemp has opened a new factory which will increase the company’s production to 5 million blocks per year from 1 million, the company said. The new $5.9 million factory on 2 hectares is meeting a growing demand for hemp blocks for both renovation and new construction.

The cost of U.S. construction timber is skyrocketing, and a national concern is growing for the carbon emitted by the construction industry. As homebuilders look for solutions, the nation’s small-but-growing number of hemp builders wonder if building with hemp will finally break through into the mainstream construction consciousness.