Clark Construction is proud to partner with the Tacoma / Pierce County Habitat for Humanity on the Canterwood Homes project. A three-home affordable housing development, Canterwood is approximately one mile north of St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor. Vertical construction has begun, and we’re using innovative and sustainable building materials like Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) and Biochar. These homes have three bedrooms, two bath and have daylight basements that lead to a large backyard. Our team has a special affinity for affordable housing, and we’re honored to be on this team.
Partnering with Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity, Clark Construction is proud to offer affordable housing in the community! Heidelberg Materials Company is being used as a subcontractor for the Canterwood Homes Project. Using Solid Carbon Materials, their concrete offers sustainability in construction.
Biochar is an ingredient in the concrete mixed for the project and is produced by the burnt down organic materials of “agricultural and forestry wastes” like wood chips, wood waste, manure, grass, etc. In a very specialized process, biochar is created by burning the organic materials in a metal drum, or trench, and putting dirt on top of it and letting it burn slowly which causes the removal of oxygen. Once the organic materials are charred, water is placed on top leaving the material known as biochar.
Burning waste is a common practice throughout the world, with the waste being a mix of organic and inorganic materials, contributing to the high volume of greenhouse gases being produced. Because biochar is created through a slow-baked process, the carbon produced is trapped and stored in solid form “that can remain stable for centuries”. It has been seen that “one ton of biochar [stores] carbon that would have otherwise generated 3.6 tons of carbon dioxide if left to degrade by natural processes”.
Clark Construction is Partnered with Habitat for Humanity in paving the way to a healthier environment with this innovative and sustainable option. Solid Carbon’s concrete has been incorporated in the Canterwood Homes Project and will soon produce affordable housing alongside Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity.
Ferguson Architecture is the architect on this project.
About Biochar:
Researchers develop carbon-negative concrete (phys.org)
What is biochar and how is it made? | Golisano Institute for Sustainability | RIT
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