Hemcrete

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A typical brick house can be responsible for 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions in its construction however, it is claimed that the same house can be built for 40% less CO2 by using Tradical Hemcrete. This is because 110kg of CO2 equivalent is captured in every cubic metre of Tradical Hemcrete wall mix, making it carbon negative. It also has a very low energy cost in use, is recyclable and is produced in the UK.

Tradical Hemcrete was developed by U.K.-based Lhoist Group. It is composed of a lime based binder and the inner woody core of a hemp plant. The materials are mixed with water and sprayed.

It can then be used for the construction of walls, in the renovation of old buildings, to form in-fill panels for historic timber frames, or as an insulating plaster or render system for the thermal upgrading of masonry buildings.

Family homes have been constructed that include enough Tradical Hemcrete for them to achieve level 4 in the Code for Sustainable Homes. Level 4 means that the house's emissions are 25% lower than 'normal'.

The thickness of Tradical Hemcrete has so far been limited to 450mm due to difficulties with drying times, and even at those thicknesses, drying times can be more than 4 weeks. This drying issue can impact on the sustainable credentials of the product as large industrial fans are sometimes used to dry panels.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Earth building.
• Hemp lime construction: A guide to building with hemp lime composites.
• Hempcrete.
• Lime mortar.
• Natural fibre reinforced polymers (NFRPs) in the construction industry IP 14 14.

[edit] External references

• BRE report on the Haverhill Hemp Houses.
• Lhoist UK (2012) frequently asked questions, Available at: http://www.lhoist.co.uk/tradical/faq-material-selection.html (Accessed: 01/12/12).
• Lime Technology (2012) Projects (Accessed: 01/12/12).
• Department for communities and local government (2012) Code for sustainable homes, Available at: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/greenerbuildings/sustainablehomes (Accessed: 01/12/12).

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