Grassroots Development Fargo

Some incredibly humbling history from our beloved 700 block in Fargo. This block houses 716, our community gathering space, and used to house the grand Earle Hotel before a fire on Dec. 13, 1951 caused it to be torn down.

The day Fargo’s grandest hotel became a deadly ice palace Fire tore through the Earle Hotel on Dec. 13, 1951, killing three, making news around the world, and turning a one-armed man into a hero.

INTRODUCING!! Fargo, ND's 1st H**pcrete House! With the help of Homeland H**pcrete we managed to get this gorgeous, sustainable structure in the air in 4 days!

What is H**pcrete? H**pcrete is a bio-composite made of the inner woody core of the h**p plant and lime binder, both natural materials. H**pcrete provides incredible insulation properties as well as mold/moisture resistance, fire resistance, and acoustic benefits; it is not a structural concrete substitute as the name may suggest.

Why H**p? H**p can be grown without using plant protection chemicals, requires little water and contributes to agricultural soil regeneration. This highly renewable resource can provide farmers with another stream of income as the market continues to grow, as well as a means to heal their soil that may have been planted with nutrient-depleting crops like corn and soybeans. H**p also sequesters or stores carbon from the atmosphere as it grows, reducing the concentration of CO2 in our air, aiding in the slowing of climate collapse.

The purpose of this project at The Hive is to compare the building and operating costs of a h**pcrete v. a "conventional" dwelling, as well as the overall resilience/health of each type of dwelling. By collaborating with the Center for Energy & Environment and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute we are installing several sensors throughout each unit to measure moisture, temperature, air quality, and the amount of energy used to heat or cool each unit.

This information will contribute to the growing field of h**pcrete research, and will give us a better understanding of how we can optimize the h**pcrete building sphere to be more competitive with the race-to-the-bottom, carbon and energy-intensive style of home building that we so often see in the market today.
We’re constructing these units so that people can experience a healthy, sustainable, low-carbon structure with the hopes that this exposure will give people the confidence to choose h**pcrete as it gains traction in the mainstream building industry. The Hive units will feature durable H**pWood floors, energy efficient appliances, and an outdoor patio space featuring a firepit and mindfully curated garden. The goal of this space is to bring people deeper into connection with each other and with nature; a place to relax and just bee. We are extremely excited to share The Hive with our Fargo-Moorhead community, anyone visiting who wants a healthy place to stay, and anyone curious about the benefits of living in h**p. Come see what all the buzz is about later this fall!

Project Designer & Manager: Sydney Glup