Hempcrete is used as a highly insulative wall material. It is a carbon-negative, natural, and lightweight construction material that provides highly efficient temperature and moisture control. It is also formable, dynamic, one-seventh the weight of concrete, and cures within hours.
Photo courtesy of RespiraBuilt
What Are the Benefits of Hempcrete?
The benefits are manifold. It is highly insulative, regulates humidity to safeguard against asthma, is fire resistant, termite resistant, rodent-proof, and prevents mold and rising damp. It never rots. It preserves the timber house frame, generates zero landfill, sequesters carbon, and is nontoxic.
What Is Hempcrete Made From?
Hempcrete is made by mixing the inner woody core of the stalk known as the hurd with a natural, lime-based binder, and water.
To separate the hemp fiber from the woody core, the plant stalk chopped and left to decay in the field (a process called retting) for 4 to 6 weeks. Microbes break down the pectin in the stalk to facilitate separation. After retting, stalks are dried and then passed through toothed rollers which crush and break the woody core into smaller pieces called shives or hurds.
Hemp hurd is simply a byproduct of hemp fiber production, albeit a large one, is it is around seventy percent of the stalk. What was found by the French, is that hemp hurd could be used as an aggregate for construction, and its addition dramatically improved — in several capacities which this article will endeavor to cover — the performance of the structure.
When and Where Did It Come From?
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of traveling to France, you might have seen the many old, oak-frame ‘colombage’ buildings. Between the oak you find myriad ratios of lime, straw, rubble, sand, and clay. No matter how hard you search online, you won’t find the name of the genius who swapped out straw for hemp hurd. But since then — at some point in the 1980s — the idea spread across France, into the UK, and all through Europe. Today, there are thousands of hemp houses across the world, and currently around three hundered in Australia.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our article. We spend a great deal of time writing about hempcrete. That’s because our purpose at RespiraBuilt is to help as many people as possible to insulate our homes with a naturally grown, carbon-sequestering carbon-based lifeform which not only provides the best thermal comfort but also has a genuine positive impact on the environment, and your bank account!
We encourage you to delve into our website and educate yourself further at www.respirabuilt.com.au or to simply get in contact and pick our brains!
Comments