OUR MISSION
We have the vision to promote a sustainable way of living within our local environment. Using the natural resources available to us, such as the land, the sun and the wind. As a pilot project we have constructed a self-built model home, moving away from conventional building methods and materials and looking for more traditional, innovative, sustainable and affordable ways to create a home, by using hempcrete. Hempcrete is a mix of hemp fibre, lime and water. It has amazing properties that you can find on our website, and has a negative carbon footprint.
Another reason to start this project is to show that we have different options when it comes to living in an affordable, self-sufficient way, an alternative to houses that currently are being offered on the market by project developers.
With this project we aim to influence people in the choices they make when creating their own home. We want to create awareness in our local and international community about the need for alternative and sustainable building methods, to train others and provide a model home open to interested visitors and in its building phase used as a training ground for workshops in bio-construction. We want to be a hub for people to come together and It will be a place where people can get hands-on experience in every aspect of our project and will have tools to start their own.
Let's create more hempcrete homes that are CO2 negative and live in harmony with nature!
You can follow us on the fundraising platform (see below), on our blog or social media.
THE HEMPCRETE PROJECT
Making a Positive Impact
WHY HEMPCRETE?
WHAT IS IT?
Hempcrete is a unique building material, being a composite of a bio-fibre (hemp hurd or shiv) and a mineral binder (lime). These ingredients are blended together with water, and the moistened binder coats all the particles of hemp shiv. A chemical reaction occurs between the lime binder and the water, resulting in the binder setting and gluing the hurd particles together. Generically, it could be called “bonded cellulose insulation.”
When the binder is set and cured and any additional water has dried out of the mixture, the resulting material is hempcrete. Unlike many construction composites (such as concrete, mortar and plaster), the binder portion in hempcrete is not intended to fill all the voids between the hemp particles, but only to coat the particles and cause them to adhere to one another where they touch. A hempcrete mix typically has a high percentage of void space in the final mixture.
ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT
Hemp is the only building material that can actually remove carbon from the air. Other methods of insulation, like fiberglass, have a significant carbon footprint. Hemp in your home can actually help to reduce the carbon emissions made from our daily lives.
We spend so much time and money building and rebuilding our homes, so why not include a resource that protects our planet? Imagine your home being able to clean the air for you!
HEALTHY LIVING ENVIRONMENT
The products used in and around our homes make a massive impact on our health, so it’s important to make sure they are safe. Hemp is generally a very clean and non-toxic plant, due to the fact that it requires little to no pesticides or herbicides to grow. Hemp also can be harvested and processed in a safe manner without the use of harsh chemicals. Using this plant in your home can protect you and your loved ones from environmental stress and illness that can result from other building materials.
The lime binder used in hempcrete is also anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, and the finished product absorbs excess moisture, defending against mould and mildew, which can be harmful to our heath.
ENERGY SAVING
Hempcrete regulates the temperature and humidity of a building; in some cases completely eliminating the need for heating and cooling systems, resulting in huge energy savings.
Thermal conductivity of hempcrete is λ = 0.06 W/m.K and
heat capacity is 1500-1700 J/kg.
SELF-BUILD OPTIONS
Some areas of the construction of a hempcrete house can be done with non skilled labour. This can reduce costs and also provide opportunities for other people to learn the techniques to apply to their own projects.
FUTURE PROOF
Hempcrete homes are long lasting. The average home is estimated to last 50-100 years. Hempcrete, on the other hand, has the incredible life span of at least 300-500 years, if not longer and is recyclable. It is truly the ultimate building material! To build an even more future proof house, we will also be using bio-technology. We will put in an off-grid electricity system, solar and wind powered, and use an eco-friendly hot water system. The septic tank will be providing us with a grey water system, where the filtered water can be re-used for irrigation. Whenever possible, we would choose an eco-friendly option over non-environmentally friendly option. In this way we will be able to maintain our zero-carbon footprint once we live there.
WHAT IS HEMPCRETE?
sustainable, insulating, breathable
In this video you quickly understand the viability of hempcrete and why we have chosen this as our building material. We feel it is the future of home construction and want to make it possible for more people to build their home this way.
COLLABORATIONS
Support us
LEARNING
Courses and workshops
During the project you can participate in workshops and courses to learn how to build sustainably using hemp and lime. For example lime and stone foundations, timber framing and shuttering using hempcrete, breathable rendering, roofing, etc.
CONTACT US
Do you want to get involved with the HempCrete project?
Have questions about the rewards or our workshops?
We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us.
Stephen +34 644 06 34 31 / Marjolein +34 691 06 14 59
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