William Stanwix and Alex Sparrow

The
Hempcrete
Book
Designing and building with hemp-lime
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2  The Hempcrete Book

Contents
Foreword by Professor Tom Woolley................ 9 14 Shuttering.................................................... 168
Introduction...........................................................11 15 Mixing hempcrete...................................... 190
16 Placing hempcrete..................................... 206
Part One: Principles of building 17 Floors, ceilings and roof insulation......... 220
with hempcrete
18 Finishes for hempcrete............................. 230
1 History and uses of hemp...........................14 19 Practicalities on a hempcrete build....... 252
2 Hemp in construction..................................22 20 Restoration and retrofit............................ 266
3 An introduction to lime................................40
Focus on self-build 2:
4 Key concepts in sustainable building......54 Hemp Lime House............................................ 282
5 Getting the basics right..............................66
6 Variations on the hemp–lime mix..............78 Part Three: Designing a
7 Performance of hempcrete hempcrete building
in a building....................................................86
8 Tools and equipment................................ 100 21 Design fundamentals................................ 288
22 Indicative detailing..................................... 308
9 Health and safety....................................... 110
10 Planning the build ..................................... 116 Focus on self-build 3:
Bridge End Cottage......................................... 342
Focus on self-build 1:
Agan Chy............................................................ 124 23 A look to the future.................................... 346

Notes................................................................... 350
Part Two: Hempcrete Glossary.............................................................. 352
construction
Resources........................................................... 354
11 The hempcrete wall: an overview........... 132 Bibliography....................................................... 357
12 Foundations and plinth............................. 146 Index..................................................................... 358
13 The structural frame.................................. 154
PART ONE

Principles of
building with
hempcrete
CHAPTER ELEVEN

The hempcrete
wall: an overview
There are several ways of using hempcrete Hempcrete wall
within the structure of a building, but its
‘standard’ use, which is probably the most construction principles
familiar to those who have seen or worked
with the material, is the construction of A hempcrete wall is built with natural materials
solid (monolithic) walls to form the thermal and provides a very high level of thermal and
envelope. acoustic insulation. It is also vapour permeable
(‘breathable’), so provides moisture buffering –
This chapter describes the principles of construc- passive regulation of humidity, which is beneficial
tion and the typical construction method for a both for human health, because it improves the
cast-in-situ hempcrete wall. There are other ways quality of the indoor air, and for the fabric of the
of using the material in walling, depending on building. Different levels of insulation can be
the specific application and the specifications of achieved by casting different thicknesses of
the architect or building designer, but the basic hempcrete, but a standard thickness in new build
principles are the same. would typically be 300mm or 350mm. The
thermal performance achieved varies according
Later chapters in this part of the book provide an to the exact materials used.
expanded discussion of the methods used and
skills involved at each stage of wall construction. As a monolithic cast-in-situ walling system,
Other than the information given in this chapter hempcrete effectively minimizes the chance of
on services, all topics relating to the wall build- thermal bridging, by forming a continuous sheet
up are covered more thoroughly in the rest of of insulation material all around the building.
Part 2, so that detail is not reproduced here. The wall build-up, in its simplest form, uses only
Instead, this chapter provides a broad overview two or three different materials (lime, hemp,
of the entire walling system. timber), which adhere closely to one another,
 Chapter Eleven  l  The hempcrete wall: an overview   133

Glulam roof structure in a large hempcrete building.

and it contains no cavity, thus minimizing the racking strength to the timber frame, meaning
risk of interstitial condensation. that the use of timber can be minimized in a
well-designed frame.
More information about the benefits of using
natural insulation materials and the thermal, It is perfectly possible to construct large build-
moisture management and other properties of ings, including those with structural frames of
hempcrete can be found in Chapters 4 and 7. engineered steel or glulam to accommodate
several storeys or cross large spans, using cast
Hempcrete walls are cast around a structural hempcrete. However, these are more likely to
timber frame, as they are not strong enough to involve complicated frame designs, and in the
be load-bearing. Although they have some case of very large buildings it is likely to be
strength in compression, this is not enough in quicker and more cost-effective to use prefabric­
itself to support the weight of the roof and upper ated hempcrete panels or blocks or sprayed
floors. The set hempcrete though, does provide a cast-in-situ hempcrete than to place the hemp-
good strength in tension, which provides crete by hand.
 Focus on self-build 1: Agan Chy
Inheriting a field with a dilapidated concrete mass was the key to passively storing heat,
barn on it gave Bob and Tally Moores an whether created by heating systems or from the
opportunity to fulfil what was, for a Bob at sun, and slowly releasing this energy to maintain
least, a long-held dream of building his a constant comfortable temperature inside.
own house. Planning permission had been
refused on the barn once, but after some The final design included a green oak structural
detective work Bob and Tally found an old frame, with a softwood studwork frame built off
map which convinced the council that, this to take the hempcrete. The principles of
contrary to previous opinion, the barn sat passive solar design were followed: highly efficient
within the village boundary, and permission glazing on the south-facing elevation and a
was eventually granted for demolition of minimum of windows on the north side, together
the barn and construction of a house. with a good overhang so that the windows are
shaded in summer but allow solar energy in
Bob is a carpenter, used to timber framing, so during the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky.
his house was always going to be based around All the external walls are 300mm hempcrete, with
a green oak frame, and having worked for a additional thermal mass provided by a deeper-
supplier of traditional and environmentally than-usual concrete floor slab and slate floor
friendly building products, he was familiar with covering in the open-plan living area. The roof
lime and other natural materials. He was doing an is insulated using wood-fibre insulation panels.
MSc in Sustainable Architecture at the Centre for Being in an exposed location close to the Atlantic
Alternative Technology, from which he says he coast in north Cornwall, Bob and Tally have
learnt a lot, but couldn’t understand why every- sensibly used a larch rain-screen cladding over
one was talking about easy-build bolt-together the hempcrete on the exposed walls (most of the
timber-frame houses with lightweight insulation, house); on the south side, they used a breathable
which needed to be sealed up tight to keep the render. Bob’s motto for the build was ‘Low-tech
heat in and then ventilated using mechanical – high performance’, and this comes out in the
systems to maintain indoor air quality. Bob says, solidity and strength of the materials that
“Up to the point when we built the house, I had surround us as we stand in the kitchen: oak posts
lived mainly in vernacular buildings, built from and beams, solid black slate flooring, black slate
local, natural materials that had stood the test of windowsills, lime plasters and thick hempcrete
time. I wanted the same feeling of permanence walls. The house, on a scorching July day, feels
from the house I was going to build myself . . . to reassuringly cool and comfortable, despite the fact
know that, as well as being a high-thermal- that we are sitting next to the large south-facing
performance eco-house, it would stand a chance windows and the external doors are open, allow-
of being there for centuries to come, and I didn’t ing a direct connection with the heat outside.
think I would get that from a lightweight insu-
lated timber-frame house.” The more Bob thought In the winter, heating is provided by a wood
about it, the more it seemed to him that thermal burner in the living room, the flue of which passes
1 2

1. Curved window reveals accentuate the natural feel.

2. Lime plaster and windows on three sides give this bedroom a light, soft
atmosphere.
3. The wood burner is the only heating Bob and Tally need most of the time.
4. The stove pipe passes through the bedroom, making use of the flue itself for
additional heating.
5. Traditional, natural materials are used to create a building with a contemporary
feel at Agan Chy.
6. Bob outside his hempcrete home.

5 6

4
 Whether you’re working on a new build or planning a renovation, The Hempcrete Book
will tell you everything you need to get started with hempcrete.

A detailed practical manual for professionals and self-builders, this book explains the many benefits
of building with hempcrete and other hemp products. It describes how to source and mix hempcrete
materials, and provides a full explanation of construction techniques, highlighting potential pitfalls and
how to avoid them. The book includes a comprehensive resources section, examples of completed
builds, and fully illustrated design notes.

Hempcrete is a natural building material with excellent qualities: it’s breathable, creating healthier
buildings; it provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation, with the advantage of good thermal
mass; it’s lightweight, reducing construction costs – and it’s environmentally friendly.

The Hempcrete Book is a powerful tool for any eco-builder.

The authors

William Stanwix and Alex Sparrow are among the foremost experts on building
and renovating with hempcrete. With over ten years’ experience in the construction
sector, including as a building surveyor, Will is the founder of one of the UK’s first
construction companies to build exclusively with hempcrete and complementary
natural materials. His business partner Alex specializes in the use of hempcrete in
historic buildings and is also a freelance writer on natural building. In addition to
construction services, they also offer consultancy, technical design and training
for people interested in using hempcrete.

All images © Alex Sparrow with the exception of: above middle © Adnams; above right © Jørn Tomter.

Publication: October 2014

Format: 368pp full colour l 255mm x 205mm
ISBN: 9780857841209 (paperback) l 9780857842244 (hardback)
Publicity contact: +44 (1223) 302 041 l publicity@greenbooks.co.uk
www.greenbooks.co.uk Sales contact: +44 (1223) 302 041 l sales@greenbooks.co.uk