This article was written by Maddie Thomas for The Guardian on Sun 10 Nov 2024 06.00 AEDT
Beautiful, eco-friendly and fire resistant: why architects are choosing walls made of hemp
Sumptuously textured, carbon negative and just a bit more expensive, hempcrete is being increasingly used in eco-friendly building
Maddie Thomas
Photograph: Anna Hutchcroft
Michael Leung first came across hempcrete after a family tragedy.
When his father-in-law died from asbestos-related mesothelioma, Leung, an architect, swore off using toxic materials in building.
“When you go on a healthy building journey, inevitably you bump into hempcrete,” he says.
Building with hemp is growing in popularity, from public buildings in Tasmania to private homes in Byron Bay, with architects looking to more sustainable materials in one of the world’s most carbon intensive industries. With the ability to capture more than twice its own weight in carbon, purported insulation, moisture- and fire-proof qualities, and now with a hempcrete building winning a National Architecture Awards nod, the eco-material is cementing its place in modern construction.
Leung first used hempcrete in 2015, when he built an experimental cabin with hempcrete walls and as much recycled material as possible. Back then, it was a “window into the future” but now, almost a decade on, Leung’s practice, Balanced Earth Architects, has an extensive portfolio of residential and commercial projects, built exclusively with hempcrete.
This article was written by Maddie Thomas for The Guardian on Sun 10 Nov 2024 06.00 AEDT
