Hempcrete - an environmentally friendly material?

In the last decade, society has been looking at sustainability of construction. The pressure for improved construction methods also leads to the search for new materials. One possible material with suitable technical properties based on renewable resources is hemp fibre concrete - hempcrete. Hempcrete is a construction material made from hemp fibres, lime and water. This composite breathes, as well as having good thermal and acoustic-insulation properties. The paper provides an overview of international literature and its relevance to New Zealand (where hempcrete has already been used) and the Czech Republic (where the first hempcrete house is under construction). A life cycle analysis of hempcrete will be used to examine its ecological footprint, especially in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The construction in 2014 of a New Zealand house provides data which can be used to model performance in both countries. The preliminary results suggest that hempcrete offers both environmental and construction opportunities which can help to deliver sustainable housing solutions.