Hempcrete is a green sustainable building material made from the inner core of the hemp stalk, mixed with a lime-based binder. It has been used for thousands of years and is now becoming more popular than ever because of its many benefits. Hempcrete is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and carbon negative defining the best natural building solutions. Hemp Construction is also fireproof and pest-resistant. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss all you need to know about hempcrete!
History of using Industrial Hemp – Hempcrete
Industrial hemp has been used for centuries to make goods and construct buildings. For example, the Ellora Caves in India utilized a mix of hemp and clay to create wall plaster in the sixth century. In addition, ropes and sails were made from industrial hemp by early American colonizers. The Romans constructed bridges out of industrial hemp, and Vikings sealed their boats with hemp fibers to make them watertight and fished with hemp fishing lines.
In November 2021, an architect couple in Uttarakhand completed construction on a 5-room house made of ‘hempcrete’ in Pauri, Garhwal District. The couple chose to use hempcrete for their new home because it is durable and has good insulating properties. They hope that their house will serve as a model for others who are interested in sustainable building materials.
Various articles have been published about House made of Hemp in Pauri, Garhwal District. Here are few of them:
Why use Hempcrete instead of Traditional building materials?
The construction industry’s dependence on concrete, a material that emits significant levels of carbon dioxide, makes reducing emissions notoriously difficult. Construction emissions will have to be reduced dramatically in order to tackle the climatic crisis, and this is where industrial hemp may provide a solution as it is one of the best natural building solutions.
Here are 8 reasons why we should switch to using hemp as a construction material.
● Lower Embodied Energy
Hempcrete has a much lower embodied energy than traditional concrete. Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy required to produce any material, from raw materials extraction through manufacture, transportation, and installation. Because it takes less energy to produce hempcrete than traditional concrete, it results in a lower carbon footprint.
● Sound Absorber
In addition, hempcrete walls absorb sound, making them ideal for use in apartments and other buildings where noise pollution is an issue.
● Thermal Insulator
It is an excellent insulator due to the plant fibers trapping pockets of air. This makes it great for both summer and winter climates, as it helps keep homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The use of industrial hemp in building houses can lead to energy savings of up to 50%.
● Highly Malleable
Hempcrete is more malleable than concrete, so it doesn’t need expansion joints that are usually necessary to handle vibrations and fluctuations in temperature. It’s also simpler to work with because it’s much lighter.
● Fire and Pest Resistant
Hempcrete, unlike wood, is naturally fire- and pest-resistant. It’s extremely difficult for a hempcrete structure to be infested with termites, as termites can’t survive in hempcrete (at least according to some experts).
● Breathable Hempcrete
Hempcrete walls are extremely breathable, allowing moisture to flow through. This makes hempcrete highly mold resistant and sustainable building material.
● Eco-Friendly
Hempcrete is one of the most eco-friendly building materials available as natural building solutions. Hemp has a major edge over other building materials in that it absorbs far more carbon dioxide than it produces throughout its existence, which can assist to minimize the influence of global warming.
Not only does hemp grow quickly without harsh chemicals, but it is also a renewable resource. If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, building with hempcrete is an excellent option.
Challenges preventing wider adoption of Hempcrete
While there are numerous benefits of using hempcrete, there are some hurdles this material has to overcome.
● Lack of Research and Legal Regulations
The hemp plant still has a negative stigma surrounding it and it is highly regulated or downright illegal to grow in many countries.
Because it is relatively new, not much research has been done on it as a building material.
● Limited Number of Applications
Hempcrete, according to construction experts, has a restricted number of applications. It is moisture-resistant to a high degree. This has certain benefits, but it also implies that such technology can’t be used for underwater or subterranean projects.
● Not Suitable for Building in Humid Regions.
Unlike other construction materials, hemp needs special consideration in certain climates. For example, if it’s extremely hot and humid, the moisture could seep into the hempcrete and make the building unbearably hot. As a result, people who live in coastal India or southern France couldn’t use this type of construction.
● Hemp Concrete Takes Weeks to Dry
Hempcrete can take weeks or even months to dry, which is a significant drawback. This means that construction projects using hempcrete could be delayed. (6-8 weeks)
● Costlier than Concrete
Because hempcrete is a new material and sustainable building material, hemp construction tends to be more expensive than concrete. Nevertheless, using hempcrete frequently could lower the costs eventually. As of now, you would have to pay at least two-three times as much for hempcrete in comparison to concrete.
Once the government begins to ease restrictions on hemp cultivation, the cost of hempcrete will decrease significantly.
“It’s crucial to establish and enforce legal hemp policies in India for impactful and sustainable growth.”
● Lack of availability
Hempcrete is not widely available. It’s only produced in a few countries, and even then, the amount produced is very small. This means that if you want to use hempcrete for your construction project, you might have to import it from another country, which could drive up the costs.
● Low Load Bearing Material
While hemp is not yet easily accessible, one significant issue with building homes out of hemp is that it takes a long time to cure. Consequently, load-bearing walls cannot be created by pouring hempcrete into a mold.
Bottom Line
Hempcrete has many advantages over other traditional building materials. It is affordable, durable, and environmentally friendly and considered as amongst top few natural building solutions. However, there are some disadvantages to using Hempcrete. It can be difficult to find a supplier, and it is not as widely used as other building materials. Despite these drawbacks, hempcrete is an excellent building material with a lot of potential. We hope that in the future, more research will be done on this incredible plant and that it will become more widely available.
Have you had any experience with Hempcrete? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below.
