Anthony from Art du Chanvre has built over 45 houses using hempcrete as a natural and sustainable insulation material. Hempcrete is made with a mix of hemp hurd (fibre), hydraulic lime (binder), and water.
Hempcrete is not load-bearing, but it does provide insulation, thermal mass, and it regulates temperature and humidity. The R-value of hempcrete is R-2.1 per inch.
Some other advantages of hempcrete is that it resists fire, mould, and vermin, and it eliminates the need for a vapour barrier and drywall (gypsum). Instead, you protect the hempcrete with natural lime plasters on the inside and on the outside of the building.
Using hemp is a sustainable building material because it is carbon negative (it stocks more carbon in the fibre of the plant than is used to grow, harvest, and process it).
We’re very excited to learn about new and innovative ways to use natural building materials in conventional construction projects. Anthony says the cast-in-place construction method creates the highest quality of hempcrete, but pre-formed, pre-dried hempcrete blocks are more likely to allow hempcrete to go mainstream. Check it out below…
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