American hemp construction project, based on the principle of "LEGO Constructor"

After the market debut of the project, the development team realized that most of the clients wanted to use it not for the office, but as a miniature family complex. Unlike other tiny homes that come prefabricated or almost entirely built in the USA, the Traveler is purchased as a DIY kit. This allows clients looking for a construction project to build their own building. And all it takes is one week, a few power tools, and at least two people.

The Ukrainian construction market, as well as the rental market, has undergone significant changes over the past year and a half, including those caused by several lockdowns, during which the population was forced to stay in small confined spaces for a long period of time. According to experts in the construction market, as well as realtors specializing in the sale of finished real estate or its lease, the demand for individual housing, primarily located near million-plus cities, has significantly increased. In addition to the fact that consumer accents have partially shifted in terms of the size and location of suburban real estate, there is clearly a trend towards a change in the attitude of the owners of newly erected buildings and structures to the friendliness of building materials in relation to humans. This is one of the reasons why the old-new segment of the construction market is actively developing in Ukraine, involving the use of hemp building materials.

Consumer preferences of the citizens of Ukraine are in trend with those observed in the economically developed countries of Europe, as well as North America. And if earlier buyers were primarily interested in hemp bonfire as a raw material, which was mainly used for the independent construction of building structures from hemp wood concrete (wood concrete), then over the past few years the Ukrainian consumer has been actively interested in hemp bricks, wood blocks, adobe, as well as the possibility of purchasing prefabricated structures, or "LEGO Constructor", from the blocks of which it would be possible to quickly and inexpensively build a building friendly to the human body.

Over the past three years, on the pages of the specialized electronic edition of national cannabis growers, the editors have repeatedly focused attention on projects of this kind, already implemented in the UK , France , Austria , Canada , Holland . It will be clearly interesting example of how the hemp "LEGO Construction Set" is being implemented in the United States.

Coexist creates do-it-yourself Traveler hemp kits that transform eco-friendly building materials into tiny 140 square feet (13 m2) homes and offices starting at $ 26,000.

According to licensed architect Ms Konopitskaya (co-owner of the company), the Traveler prefabricated house has a modern, mid-century Scandinavian appeal with a design that “integrates indoor and outdoor space”. A similar effect is created by combining a 12ft wide glass paneled wall with a sliding door and mesh screen. In total, the house can accommodate three double beds, on the ground floor and in the attic. There is also space for a small bathroom, sofa, coffee table and more, depending on the needs of the customers.

It is positioned on the market that the appearance of the house-kit can be customized based on the needs of the customer. Buyers can choose from three facades: beach sand cedar, a combination of plaster and hemp, or recyclable corrugated metal. Another highlight of the American hemp "LEGO Constructor" is that in cases where the area of ​​the premises does not satisfy the buyer, he can build a double or built complex from standard blocks. 

The main stake of the company in obtaining fires was the nearby primary processing facilities, however, due to bottlenecks in the supply chain in the US hemp industry, hemp raw materials at the moment still have to be imported from France.

At the core of Traveler is hemp-based insulation to create a human-friendly living environment, with customers having three designs to choose from - hemp linen insulation, LEGO prefabricated wood block construction, or a mix of both.

The wood blocks maintain the internal temperature and humidity, and are made from the woody core of the plant, a binder based on limestone and water. They are also biodegradable, lightweight and do not leave a carbon footprint during production or disposal, according to information provided by Coexist.

Hemp insulation is 92% hemp fiber (the remaining 8% is a binder) and, according to its manufacturer, "surpasses all insulation materials on the market due to its high density and natural ability to keep temperature and humidity indoors."

At first, the owners of the company thought that the majority of buyers would use the Traveler kit as an office, but after the market debut of the project, the development team realized that most of the clients wanted to use it not for an office, but as a miniature family complex. Unlike other tiny homes that come prefabricated or almost entirely built in the US, the Traveler is purchased as a DIY kit. This allows clients looking for a construction project to build their own building. And all it takes is one week, a few power tools, and at least two people.

Given the huge excitement from buyers, the co-owners of Coexist acquired a farm that is already growing industrial crops of technical hemp. In addition, entrepreneurs have applied for and have already received grants from the State Department of Agriculture to research the scaling up of their project. In a research project with Thomas Jefferson University, Coexist is working to create 3D printed hemp biocomposite products in order to create a local supply chain “from farmer to end-user of hemp products” with the ability to construction work utilizing a significant amount of carbon dioxide. 

The sales experience gained by the company's managers throughout 2021 suggests that it is necessary to improve the very concept of "Traveler". For example, customer requests for larger sub-assemblies and projects with built-in kitchenettes or fully equipped bathrooms are being implemented.

Commentary of the specialists of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

During the training of the third stream of students of the " Hemp University ", a specialized round table " Hemp raw materials - technologies for its use in construction, production of biocomposite materials and furniture " was held. Taking into account the fact that the specialists of the profile association of national cannabis growers over the past three years have actively participated in the creation of several production chains at once aimed at the primary processing of the fibrous part of the plant, in preparation for a specialized round table, which will be held as part of the next training course for students of “ Konoplyanoy University ”students are planned to present several hemp construction technologies implemented in our country at once (bone concrete; bone blocks; hemp bricks; adobe, which is based on the features of hemp raw materials, hemp plaster, etc.).