The latest on the International Residential Code Hemp-lime appendix commentary including the new fundraising commercial
By Jacob Waddell
We are proud to present the International Residential Code (IRC) Hemp-lime appendix commentary commercial below.
This commercial was created by Sunflower Films who are currently working on a documentary on the many uses of hemp. We want to thank Mpactful Ventures, IND Hemp, and PA Department of Agriculture for the use of footage they have previously generated. The filming process included interviews with one of the consultants, Martin Hammer, and the structural engineer involved in the Hemp-lime IRC appendix, Anthony Dente from Verdant Structural Engineers, along with the President of the HBI, Jacob Waddell. The US Hemp Building Association (USHBA) partnered with the HBI to complete the IRC commentary development.
Please feel free to share this link on your socials and with your friends, family and colleagues.
Latest IRC Appendix Commentary Development Update
In the last update we discussed the process used for the development of the IRC appendix commentary. Since then, we completed the large industry review with a dozen professionals from the hemp building industry commenting on the document as described in the last update. These comments were reviewed by the leadership team, Mary Dempsey and Jacob Waddell, and any that seemed appropriate for a change were considered. The revised document was sent to the consultants. The consultants will now review these changes and return the document back to the leadership team.
We appreciate everyone that has participated throughout the development of the IRC Hemp-lime appendix. Without cooperation, we could not have created such a robust submission.
The International Building Code and Future IRC Revisions
Now that we approach the end of the IRC Hemp-lime appendix development process, we must look forward to the next steps. At the beginning of 2024, there will be an opportunity for a submission of a hemp-lime addition to the International Building Code (IBC). The IBC is created by the International Code Council (ICC) to present model codes for the commercial construction industry. Submission next year would be our opportunity to be included in the 2027 IBC. This development needs to occur by the end of 2023.
Early in 2025, there will be an opportunity to revise the recently accepted Hemp-lime (Hempcrete) Construction appendix to the IRC. We have already started collecting portions of the Hemp-lime appendix that reviewers have requested revisions on. These topics and others should be discussed by a council of hemp-lime industry professionals to make sure that we continue to improve the IRC appendix to represent the latest in the hemp building industry.
There is an opportunity to revise the IRC and the IBC every 3 years. This means that these documents are regularly evolving and the hemp building industry must continue to improve our related sections to make them most useful to the industry.
The HBI was proud to lead the completion of the Hemp-lime appendix. However, due to our shift in mission and our new focus on charitable work, we will be stepping down from leading this project. Please reach out to the USHBA and the HBI if you are interested in taking up the leadership of this project, or know of anyone who would be a good candidate.