Promoting the circular economy from the field to the house with rice-based construction material. ricehouse.it

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The issue

• In the EU, building construction causes:
• 40% of energy consumption,
• 36% of CO2 emissions,
• 1/3 of waste.
• Construction uses:
• 21% of freshwater,
• 50% of extracted raw materials.
• Also, many construction materials have petrochemical origins, 40% of which are considered hazardous.

The Ricehouse solution

Ricehouse commercializes natural construction products such as rice straw, rice husk, hydraulic bio plasters, screeds, lime or clay fnishings, rice husk premixed compounds and panels that elevate the comfort and health concept. The products arecreated by combining rice residues with completely natural binders, formaldehyde free, avoiding materials of petrochemical  origin.

Benefits and co-benefits

• Aesthetic advantages: Attention to detail and high-end finishes
• Wholesome and healthy: Improve environmental internal comfort, regulate the humidity of indoor spaces, high breathability of walls, reduced internal pollution by sequestering CO2
• Technical advantages: High thermal insulation performance, high inertia to fire, high durability, high acoustic performance. Resistance to biological decay agents and molds
• Environmental advantages: Reduce emissions from burning rice residues. Reduction of energy consumption, low environmental impacts, and low grey energy. EU regulations incentivize natural materials
• Technical features: Characteristics are proven through certificates
• Social impact: Create new local economies in fragile areas and raise awareness of social and environmental issues
• Quick and easy Easy to install using traditional techniques

Rice husk and straw is about 40% carbon, meaning every tonne of rice husk and straw used in Ricehouse construction materials, 1.43 tCO2 is sequestered.

Where rice husk and straw would typically be discarded to decompose into CO2 or methane or be burnt to release that CO2 directly into the atmosphere.

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Ricehouse products

• Basecoat plaster
• Finishing plaster
• Lightweight screed
• Clay-based coat plaster
• Clay-based finishing plaster
• Eco-paint
• Thermo-acoustic insulation panels
• Husk and Clay panels
• Pre-compressed natural insulation
• Natural rice husk for insulation

Each of these construction materials sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and can replace typical carbon-intensive materials in construction! Contact them at info@ricehouse.it for construction queries, building using their materials can go on your carbon balance sheet!

Long term vision

Support Ricehouse with your carbon investment

Ricehouse offers sustainable construction credits to purchase, each of which will sequester 1 tonne of CO2; which a Pond Foundation member can buy to balance their carbon emissions.