Left to Right: Clarke Snell (Managing Director, Nauhaus Institute), Mario Machnicki (Managing Director, American Lime Technology), Ian Pritchett (Chairman and Technical Director, Lime Technology)

There’s been a lot of the “sexier” components being put together in the Nauhaus Prototype as of late. Ian Pritchett of Lime Technology flew in from the UK to oversee the installation of the first Tradical® Hemcrete® wall on a home in the US and what he says will be the first Passive Hemcrete® home in the world. Ian and his US partner Mario Machnicki trained Asheville builder extraordinaire Matt Schillig of WNC ProBuilt in Hemcrete® installation.

Left to Right: Clarke Snell, Chris Cashman, Matt Schillig, and Elisha Brinton in front of the hours-old first Hemcrete® wall in the US.

At about the same time, we’ve had Mark Prudowski of Lightning Bug Electric (more info here) finishing up the electric on the prototype home. Mark and his team, including a graduate from Asheville GO (the awesome non-profit we mentioned in our previous post), fitted the home with “smurf tubing,” ideal for wiring through bio-cretes and other cellulose-based walls. The design will allow for dynamic changes to the structure over 100s of years without compromising other system components – an essential component of our open architecture goals.

Currently under way, as of this posting, is the installation of Eco-Panels on the prototype roof. Eco-Panels, a local NC company manufactures integrated structural insulated panel systems that achieve unreal R-values of over R-60 for an 8.5″ panel. WNC ProBuilt is in the multi-day process of installing the roofing panels and hopes to get to the full Hemcrete® installation by Monday, November 23rd. Check back soon for more site updates and press releases. More pictures after the break.

Lightning Bug Electric hard at work.

Eco-Panels being lifted onto the framing by crane.

WNC ProBuilt fastens the Eco-Panels fooring system.

A bit more of our Hemcrete® wall for good measure.