Growing Faster Than Wood, Grass Is Being Turned Into New Green Building Material

The average time it takes for a tree to grow until its ready for harvesting is around 15 years. After which, it will be cut down, turned into building materials and other goods, and simultaneously contribute to climate change. As much as we try to save trees, there’s no denying how crucial they have become to manufacturing. So what if there was a simpler alternative to them? 
 
According to Plantd co-founder Josh Dorfman, the answer is right beneath our feet in the form of grass.
 
Plantd first emerged after Dorfman linked up with Huade Tan and Nathan Silvernail, who had previously worked on SpaceX rockets to find a new building material that captures carbon without taking too long to grow. The company found tall perennial grass can absorb as much as 30 tons of carbon and sprouts out a lot faster than trees can.
 
The grass can be harvested as much as three times a season, which is much shorter than 15 years.

When the grass is collected, a machine will shred the fiber and restructure it back together to form panels used in walls, roofs, subfloors, and other areas of construction. This could effectively reduce the need for wood. The turf can also be manipulated the way engineered wood is to fit its desired needs.

Below is a render of what the finished product will look like.

Furthering the company’s eco-conscious mission, it is developing custom equipment that will cut costs and emissions during production.
 
Additionally, Plantd is looking to use cross-laminated timber as an alternative to steel and concrete.
 
At present, the company has just secured $10 million in Series A funding, which would help scale the firm up. In addition, the startup states that it is working with some of the nation’s most prominent architects to integrate its products into future products and make them the industry standard. Finally, later this year, an unnamed farm will begin helping Plantd grow acres of grass for its use. 
 
 
 
[via Fast Company and Plantd / Globe Newswire, images via various sources]