Residual Studio
Residual Studio is a Lisbon-based architecture, design and research atelier focused exclusively on sustainability and circular economy, crea…
Natural Materials
Hemp, cork, earth and stone, materials that breathe, store carbon and age well. Portuguese pioneers like Cânhamor are making them available at building scale.
Projects in this focus
Pinho&Palha
Pinho&Palha is a sustainability-oriented project based in Sarilhos Grandes, Portugal.
Ananda Earth Atelier
Ananda Earth Atelier is a creative and educational initiative founded by architect Katharina, offering online mentoring programmes and in-pe…
Terrapalha
Terrapalha is a natural building architecture studio founded in 2008 by architect Catarina Pinto, based in Sintra and the Alentejo coast, sp…
Natural building materials in Portugal
Hemp, cork, earth, lime, straw and stone share three properties that industrial alternatives struggle with: they let a wall move moisture rather than trap it, they hold carbon rather than emit it, and they age without failing. In a climate with hot summers and damp winters, the first of those matters more than it sounds.
Cânhamor makes hemp building materials in Portugal at a scale a contractor can actually order. Cork, which the country produces more of than anywhere else, is used here as insulation as well as flooring.
Supply is the recurring problem, much of this exists as small production runs. The hemp construction and eco-building techniques focuses list who is making and using what. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.