Jen Hannah

Hempcrete Design Specialist, Architectural Technologist, Green Building & Materials Advisor & Educator

(In-training as: Passive House Designer, Energy Advisor, WELL AP)

 

My love of architecture began in childhood, when my family bought an acreage to build on. Together we cruised from show-home to show-home gathering ideas. It wasn't long before 9 year-old me picked up paper and pencil, determined to design our family home. And while I didn't end up coming up with the winning plan, my trajectory was forever impacted.

 

For the three decades that followed, I was often found with a pad of graph paper in hand, deeply engaged in the thrill of merging the abstract and the concrete. I loved to be immersed in my imagination and creativity while simultaneously ensuring it found form within the parameters that come with building codes and bylaws.

 

In 2016/2017, my trajectory was once again startled from the status quo. My view of architecture shifted significantly when I stumbled upon a) studies showing the correlation between design and wellbeing, and b) the use of Hempcrete as a building material. In my mind, no longer should design simply be about putting structurally sound roofs over people's heads in ways that looked half-decent. 

 

Suddenly, I was looking at the built environment through the lens of questions such as "Is this the best we can do?! Are the ways we do things, really any good? Or are they actually harmful? To what extent, and in what ways, are we affected by the spaces we spend time in? How is our health and wellbeing impacted by the way we design, and the materials we build with? Can architecture come to life in ways that are healthy for both the planet and her people?"

 

Without knowing how, and armed with nothing but my hobbyist's graph paper (and a heart bursting with vision), I declared publicly that I would be a part of bringing wellness design, and Hempcrete in particular, to more mainstream design and construction in my part of the world.

 

As for many of us, 2020 brought me to a turning point. Back to school I went. First for a diploma in Architectural Design Technology, then to specialized courses such as Planning and Designing Healthy Communities, Passive House residential design, Energy Advisory, and my favourite:  Hempcrete Masterclasses and hands-on workshops. 

 

I devoured it all, then talked and talked about what I was learning to anyone who would listen: the mayor of my town, private investors, professionals who were already blazing trails I was just setting out on, friends, family, you name it. 

 

And you know what happened?

 

One summer day in 2021, I received an email from a woman who was interested in building a small cottage with Hempcrete.

 

A month later, another email arrived with a referral for yet another woman who wanted her new home to be built with Hempcrete.

 

A few bumps in the road (and a LOT of learning!) later, I now have the honour of having designed the first permitted Hempcrete House in the Okanagan! 

 

And it is yet another honour to now be welcomed into the phenomenal team at ECOTECTURE. What a joy to join this group of women who are just as passionate about Green Building & Wellness Design as I am!

 

Buckle up, Okanagan... we're just getting started!