Hazelwood Hempworks

Almono / Hazelwood Green, Pittsburgh PA

Industrial Hemp as Non-Extractive Building Material

A proposal for the currently vacant Almono Site along Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh, PA. Constructed primarily out of wood and industrial hemp, this ‘proof of concept’ project aims to showcase the viability of non-extractive building alternatives. The 16 acres spanning Hazelwood Avenue and 2nd Avenue to the Allegheny River will be allocated to a productive garden/ public park with a connection to the future pier.

During the summer months, industrial hemp for construction of the site’s buildings will be grown in the larger farm plots to be harvested in late autumn, to be processed into hempcrete bricks in the adjacent factory building. Other types of vegetation will occupy the farm plots during the rest of the year.

All drawings produced by Clover Chau and Madeline Cotton