On 13 and 14 November, Cogreen, d. o. o., Zavod za gradbeništvo Slovenije – ZAG and the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Ljubljana – UL FGG organised a conference entitled “First International Conference on Innovative Use of hemp in Construction sector”. The conference was held in the premises of UL FGG. The practical workshop, which was part of the conference and organised within the framework of the project on circular and digital construction Interreg Central Europe ReBuilt, took place in the premises of ZAG. The conference was attended by 83 participants from Slovenia, Austria, Germany and India. The participants were addressed by Prof. Dr. Dušan Žagar, Vice-Dean of the UL FGG, and Mrs. G. A. K. Namrata S. Kumar.
Current topics in the field of cannabis and bioconstruction were presented by 26 lecturers and 8 invited speakers. The initiators of the idea of the conference, Mr. Primož Zorec (Cogreen, Ltd.) and Dr. Shiva Kumar Mani (Cogreen, Ltd.) announce: “We believe that the vision of bringing together science, educational institutions and business is the right foundation for the development of innovation in the construction industry. The multiplier effect will lead to greener attitudes and healthier living and working conditions in buildings.
The main objective of the event was to present to professionals and the general public the latest aspects of the use of hemp as a building material and its potential for more sustainable development as part of the transition to a bio-circular economy. The content of the conference is linked to Slovenia’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in line with the United Nations Agenda 20301, and also challenges the construction industry to change conventional linear models and use conventional materials in a circular, more sustainable economy. The integration of science, business and education is a cornerstone for achieving the SDGs, especially SDGs 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 13 (climate action). The content of the conference also provided an opportunity for an in-depth discussion between researchers, students and companies on understanding the circularity process and sustainable materials in construction.
REBUILT WORKSHOP
The main objective of the ReBuilt project, funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme, is to strengthen and connect circular and digital construction in Central Europe. An initial analysis of good practices has shown that there are different levels of development across the region.
Practices in the use of natural materials for circular and sustainable construction varied across the region, but hemp as a building material, at least in the form of hempcrete, is ubiquitous. Through education and capacity building in the ReBuilt education programme, of which the workshop at the Slovenian Building Institute was a part, the partners educate different target groups – from industry, especially SMEs, investors, clients, architects and designers, to students and civil servants – on the state of the art in the field of circular and digital construction. The workshop included a practical part on the preparation of hempcrete, where participants could learn what hempcrete should look like for isolation, experience in the analysis of hemp and natural materials with X-ray computed tomography, and the analysis of the CO2 sequestration capacity of mineral-based materials carbonisation and 3D printing of cement composites. The workshops were attended by 24 participants from industry, research institutes and universities.