<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div><br></div>Funny you mention it, Tom. As it happens, Ecological Building Network just submitted for a large grant from the US stimulus funds to test and promote "straw-based building systems". We have reason to think we will succeed, but won't know until next Spring.<div><br></div><div>If we do get the funding, part of the program will be to thermally and seismically test some proprietary systems, and I have Hemcrete very much in mind. (I was and am planning on talking to you and Ian about this in a few weeks when we're all in Bath).</div><div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Thanks,</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Bruce King</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">(415) 987-7271</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">bruce-king.com </div></div></div></span></div></span> </div><br><div><div>On Aug 19, 2009, at 7:19 AM, Tom Woolley wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear all<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div>I have been following the discussion of seismic issues with interest.</div><div>Our work on hemp and lime has made me convinced that hemp has great possibilities in terms of coping with seismic activity. </div><div>This is because of the fantastic flexibility it seems to have. </div><div>However as far as I know very little research (if any ) has been done on hempcrete walls in earthquakes.</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Some of our post grad students at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales have been doing research on mixing hemp with <b>earth </b>instead of lime, but results so far have been inconclusive. </span></div><div>However I would encourage anyone interested in this area to look at the addition of hemp fibres and/or shiv with adobe type construction.</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div>If you are interested to know more about hempcrete you can view a video on youtube of the hemp house we have been constructing in County Down. </div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcctSvVFheA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcctSvVFheA</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6eMdqJbQI4&feature=channel_page">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6eMdqJbQI4&feature=channel_page</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tom Woolley</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div> <br><div></div> <br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>Tom Woolley</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div>Rachel Bevan Architects</div><div>17A Main Street</div><div>Saintfield</div><div>Ballynahinch</div><div>BT24 7AA</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div><a href="mailto:tom.woolley@btconnect.com">tom.woolley@btconnect.com</a></div><div>028 44 830988</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span> </div><br></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>GSBN mailing list<br><a href="mailto:GSBN@greenbuilder.com">GSBN@greenbuilder.com</a><br>http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN<br></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>