Article – ABC Rural News Australia: Hempcrete the eco-friendly material breathing new life into Australian homes

Tasmanian builder Andrias McMahon has been working with natural building techniques for 15 years and has a couple of hempcrete builds under his belt.

Key points:

  • Hempcrete is made by mixing hemp fibre, lime, and water which is then cured
  • Over the past three years, more than 100 eco-friendly homes have been built using it
  • Tasmania produces nearly two-thirds of the nation’s commercial hemp

“The process of structurally making a building with hempcrete is not very far from a conventional building,” Mr McMahon said.

“You need to give it a minimum of six weeks to cure — that’s the primary cure.

“The overall curing process takes about 50 years to complete; the process is called carbonation as the material takes up atmospheric carbon, that’s the lime, effectively returning to its mineral state, that’s limestone.”

In the past three years more than 100 eco-friendly homes in Australia have been built using hempcrete, with the use of the material particularly prevalent in Western Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Hempcrete, made from mixing woody hemp fibre (from inside the hemp stalk), with lime and water, is then pushed into timber frames by hand to build an insulating wall.

Read full article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-12-08/carbon-neutral-hempcrete-homes-building-in-popularity/11769446

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