Sequeira Gutiérrez, Sebastián
Preliminary analysis of the use of Hemp in various construction elements.
Final Graduation Project – Civil Engineering – San José – Costa Rica
S. Sequeira G., 2023.
xvii, 189, [35]h; ils. col. - 188 refs.
Abstract
The construction industry is both a crucial agent in human development and one of the
major sectors that contributes a substantial amount of all global CO2 emissions and energy
consumption; therefore, discovering and promoting sustainable materials is of imperative
urgency within civil engineering. An ancient plant is becoming a trend worldwide and is
presented as a sustainable alternative construction material.
A preliminary analysis of hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) in various construction elements is
presented towards the positioning of the material as a focus of research and development
of organic building products through a historical, taxonomic, botanical, and mechanical
profile with the properties of hemp both in the natural state of its fibers and in different
hemp compounds with the particularities and advantages presented as a construction
material.
Different materials from hemp fibers are analyzed along with various applications in
projects across Europe, America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa, as well as construction
projects in Costa Rica in recent years. Additionally, a current state of concerns and
recommendations of engineering and architectural professionals in our country is
presented in the framework of recent legislation of both the cultivation and production of
derivatives of the hemp plant.
Key words: Cannabis Sativa L., Hemp, Sustainable materials, Construction projects,
Hempcrete, Fibers.
Ing. Erick Mata Abdelnour
Director de la investigación
Escuela de Ingeniería Civil
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