This new trade group has been recently formed with architect Bob Escher as the inaugural president
BY DOUGLAS WEINSTEIN
In our Spring 2019 issue, Jason Takahashi reported on sustainable building materials, including hempcrete. Natural building materials and techniques that inherently reduce environmental impact are plentiful and are of course nothing new, but they are poised to become increasingly popular in the green building community.
In the article, Jason interviewed Bob Escher, an architect and AIA member based in Dorset, Vermont. With 30 years of experience specializing in high-end custom homes, country clubs and libraries, Bob recently started designing small-scale hempcrete projects. After years of searching for green building materials, Bob was drawn to hemp by his son Alex. As of today, the size and scope of the projects Bob and Alex have built using hempcrete are still small — but they’re certain the day for widespread disruption draws near.
We just received notice that the US Hemp Building Association has been recently formed and Bob is the inaugural president. So we wanted to send our congratulations and look forward to hearing more about how the association will be creating awareness about this sustainable building material.
We encourage members within our own design-build community to familiarize yourselves with hemp and its environmentally, sustainable and economical properties as it poised to really take off in the building industry over the next five years.
The USHBA will move Hemp Building into the forefront of the US Construction Industry through education, communication, connections and advocacy.
“Hempcrete is the material the green industry has been waiting for.”
— Bob Escher
Founding Board of Directors
President | Bob Escher, AIA
Vice President | Dion Markgraaff
Director of Growth and Development | Eric McKee
Director of Government Relations | Scheril Murray Powell, Esq.
Director of Education | Sergiy Kovalenkov
Mattie Mead
Tommy Gibbons
Henry Valles
Ladi March-Goldwire
William Rennalls
