Carbon negative
building materials

After an exciting bootcamp here in Amsterdam, we invited 10 of the winning teams to answer some questions about their projects, what they gained from the challenge, and their plans for the future. Here's what Varun and Tarun Jami of Agrocrete had to say. Explore the Clean Energy Challenge: https://www.whatdesigncando.com/clean-energy-challenge-interview/ Find out more about Agrocrete: https://www.whatdesigncando.com/agrocrete/

http://inktalks.com INK Fellow Tarun Jami reveals how hempcrete from cannabis is the foundation for future sustainable built environments and the continued existence of the human race. Talk recorded at ‘INK2018: Billionaires of Moments’ in Hyderabad ABOUT TARUN JAMI: Tarun is pioneering the use of agricultural produce as building materials in India, making farmers economically relevant to the construction industry. He recognises the impact of construction on climate change and the importance of farmers in its mitigation. As the Founder and Managing Partner of GreenJams Infrastructures LLP, Tarun manages product innovation and the commercial scale development of carbon-negative bio-aggregate building materials from hemp stalks in collaboration with CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee. He hopes to see these miracle walls adorning everyone’s homes in the days to come. Tarun is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and holds degrees in Civil Engineering and Environmental Science. ABOUT INK: INKtalks is committed to capturing and sharing breakthrough ideas, inspiring stories and surprising perspectives – across diverse fields! Personal narratives that hit straight to the heart in 18 minutes or less. Connect with us: http://inktalks.com http://facebook.com/inktalks http://twitter.com/inktalks http://instagram.com/inktalks

We built the world's first-ever Agrocrete® building in Roorkee in 4 days flat, all while saving 30% in construction cost! There were 3 masons and 3 helpers on the job. We were able to reduce the number of man-hours and mortar joints by 60%, resulting in a 30% reduction in the cost of construction. What's more? This completely load-bearing structure is carbon-negative with 3.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide captured! Agrocrete® is a carbon-negative building material made using crop residues such as paddy straw, corn stover, bagasse, etc., and industrial co-products from the steel, paper and power industries. It replaces conventional building materials like red bricks, fly ash bricks and concrete blocks for up to 30% cheaper cost of construction and 25% improved building energy efficiency.