IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance scheme for heritage services – emails members weekly ‘News and Tender Alerts’, and this week features Building on Hempcrete!
…Hemp absorbs carbon as it grows…
Building writes:
Construction’s journey towards a zero-carbon future has largely focused on modern materials and technologies. But the insulation and low carbon credentials of bio-based materials such as hempcrete are winning over some serious players….
The embodied carbon credentials of hempcrete are good. It consists of approximately 30% lime to bind the material together and 70% hemp shiv which provides the insulation. Lime production has a carbon cost as this involves heating limestone to of 900°C – 1,000°C, albeit lower than the 1,450°C needed for cement production. Hemp absorbs carbon as it grows; if this sequestered carbon is included in hempcrete’s embodied carbon calculation, it makes the product carbon negative.
According to the Hemp Block Company, its hempcrete blocks have a carbon footprint of -11kg/m³. The case for including sequestered carbon is more compelling than that for timber as hemp can be grown and harvested in just four to five months. And hemp shiv is a waste product from textile production….
… ‘If someone comes to us and says they want to build a really energy-efficient eco house which is going to last 100 years, then we would say use hempcrete’… Tom Woolley, Queens University, Belfast…
… Another advantage of hempcrete is its versatility. Woolley, who is also an architect working with Rachel Bevan Architects, has used and written extensively on natural building materials – his upcoming book Natural Building Techniques has chapters dedicated to materials including straw, timber, earth and hempcrete and he says the latter is the best…
#IHBC MarketPlace – Aberdeen 2022
Now’s the time to start planning for Aberdeen2022!
We’re putting together a new package for the IHBC MarketPlace and want to offer our HESPR members’ the opportunity to benefit from early promotion of your company and services as we start planning the campaign in the next few weeks.
Get in touch with us at marketplace@ihbc.org.uk to find out more or ask any questions.
To find out more on HESPR see our ’Find Services’ or explore our ‘Join HESPR’ sections.
See more IHBC and HESPR news on IHBC’s Conservation Wiki
For more on HESPR and how to become a HESPR member see hespr.ihbc.org.uk
For a free promotion of your tendering opportunities and work needs to the IHBC’s HESPR members, please send details and links to Joanna at contact@ihbc.org.uk, as soon as possible.
Tenders can also be advertised for a fee with IHBC Jobs etc, including a targeted email to 2500+ recipients as well as full coverage on our NewsBlog alerts and social platforms (membership and followers c.25,000) and websites with c. 250,000 visits a month. Contact Joanna at contact@ihbc.org.uk
