New Generation Builders
Empowering youth and students to build sustainably with hemp blocks — learning hands-on how to raise walls from a material that is strong, breathable, and grown from the earth.
Building classrooms with the crops they grow
Our New Generation Builders program invites students and young builders to learn by doing. Working alongside our instructors, they raise real walls — sometimes their own classroom — using hemp blocks made from the inner woody core of the hemp stalk mixed with lime.
Hemp blocks are a pre-cured, factory-made alternative to cast-on-site hempcrete. They are strong enough for structural infill and partition walls, breathable to regulate indoor humidity, and carbon-sequestering. Stacked with a thin hemp-lime mortar and tied into a timber frame, they let a crew of first-time builders raise a wall in days, not weeks.
Students leave the program understanding the full cycle — from field to wall — and gain practical skills in sustainable construction they can carry into careers, trades, or their own homes.
What students learn
A hands-on curriculum that takes students from raw material to finished, breathable wall.
From stalk to block
How hemp hurd — the inner core of the stalk — is mixed with lime and water to form strong, breathable blocks.
Hands-on wall raising
Laying hemp blocks with hemp-lime mortar, setting into timber frames, and building structural and partition walls.
Sustainable design
Why breathable, carbon-sequestering walls matter for healthy indoor air and a lower carbon footprint.
Trade & career skills
Practical masonry, framing integration, and quality control skills students carry into the trades.
Team building
Crew-based learning that mirrors a real jobsite — communication, roles, and shared responsibility.
Real-world results
Students finish the program having contributed to a standing wall — often in their own learning space.
Bring the program to your school or community
We partner with schools, youth programs, and community organizations to run hands-on hemp-block building workshops. Tell us about your group and we'll design a program that fits.