Prices of building materials are rising sharply around the world. The rising cost of basic building materials means that people are looking for new alternative solutions that would ensure easy availability of building materials. One possible solution is the hemp industry. The price is rising sharply, especially for building materials made of wood, and hemp-lime blocks are a great alternative. These blocks made of lime and hemp are called “hempcrete” and have been used in many constructions for many years.
An important material for the construction industry
There are already a large number of companies on the market that produce or use hemp blocks. One of them is the well-known manufacturer IsoHemp. It produces around 1 million hemp blocks a year, and production could increase fivefold in the near future to keep pace with demand. The use of hemp blocks is gaining great popularity also because it is environmentally friendly and leads to less carbon production. According to many experts, decarbonisation of the construction sector is needed.
Hemp blocks have a number of advantages
Prefabricated hemp blocks are much lighter than concrete blocks. Made with chopped hemp hurd and lime binder. These blocks are easy to install and provide effective insulation. They have a uniform density, are easy to transport and dry quickly. Walls that are built using hempcrete blocks are fireproof, pest proof, mold proof, and are even longer-lasting as compared to home that use timer frames which are normally made with poorer-quality materials.
Are hemp blocks suitable as load-bearing systems?
While concrete blocks can be load-bearing, hemp concrete blocks are not load-bearing. However, companies such as IsoHemp and Vicat have developed steel support systems and beam structures that will allow you to build with these blocks. For example, HempBLOCK uses prefabricated hemp blocks, which are built very quickly and easily.
It’s similar to composing LEGO. Hemp blocks can be used for the construction of a structural part of a building, but they are also used for thermal insulation of buildings. Due to the many advantages of hemp blocks, it is likely that they will be used more and more often in construction.
Sources:
https://www.hempbuildmag.com/
https://www.trueactivist.com/with-increased-construction-and-lumber-prices-builders-now-looking-at-hemp-blocks-t1/
Image credit:
Screenshots – youtube.com/watch?v=UYNZKXXBD4Q, Pixabay
