Hemp-based building materials are non-toxic, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional building materials.
Hemp can be used to make hempcrete, hemp blocks, insulation, structural laminates, pressboard, flooring, countertops, and much more. The list of construction items that can be made from hemp is nearly endless, and over time, as production and innovation catch up, will be in ready supply.
Benefits of Hempcrete
- Durable
- Sustainable
- Carbon sequestration
- Excellent insulative value
- Passive regulation of temperature and humidity
- Mold and mildew resistant
- Pest resistant
- Fire resistant
- No off-gassing
- High vapor permeability
- No solvents
"Hempcrete takes the place of fiberglass insulation and also acts as a thermal barrier to increase a building's energy efficiency," said Chris Sullivan, plant technician with Lazarus Naturals in Powell Butte and hempcrete advocate. The "concrete" reference is because the hempcrete is mixed like concrete, but is a non-load bearing biocomposite used for insulation. Sullivan lists some of the other attributes of hempcrete: mold and pest resistant, hypo-allergenic, fire-resistant, non-toxic and a renewable resource.
Hempcrete is made by mixing hemp hurds with a lime binder and water in a portable cement mixer. The resultant bioaggregate material is light and airy. The hempcrete is then packed and tamped down between temporary plywood sheets attached to stud walls (shuttering, for you builders out there). After the hempcrete dries, the forms are moved upward to accept the next layer. The final wall may be covered with a plaster, instead of drywall, or left alone, depending upon building codes.
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