The Hempcrete Book - Designing and building with hemp-lime

The Hempcrete Book is a detailed practical manual for architects, surveyors, professional builders and self-builders. It explains how to source and mix hempcrete and how to use it in new builds and restoration. In colour throughout, fully illustrated with beautiful photographs, this book provides a full explanation of construction techniques, highlighting potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. It includes a comprehensive resources section and examples of completed builds, with design notes. 

Hempcrete is a building material with excellent properties. It’s made from lime and hemp shivs (a waste product from hemp fibre growing) and can be used for walls, floors, and for roof insulation.

Hempcrete is breathable, absorbing and emitting moisture; this helps regulate internal humidity, avoiding trapped moisture and mould growth, and creating healthier buildings. It provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation and thermal mass. It’s light-weight, reducing construction costs, and it’s environmentally friendly: it locks up CO2 for the life of the building, and the hemp doesn’t require agrochemicals or insecticides in its cultivation. 

The Hempcrete Book is a valuable tool for any eco-builder.

Foreword by Professor Tom Woolley
Introduction
Part One: Principles of building with hempcrete
1 History and uses of hemp
2 Hemp in construction
3 An introduction to lime
4 Key concepts in sustainable building
5 Getting the basics right
6 Variations on the hemp–lime mix
7 Performance of hempcrete in a building
8 Tools and equipment
9 Health and safety
10 Planning the build
Focus on self-build 1: Agan Chy

Part Two: Hempcrete construction
11 The hempcrete wall: an overview
12 Foundations and plinth
13 The structural frame
14 Shuttering
15 Mixing hempcrete
16 Placing hempcrete
17 Floors, ceilings and roof insulation
18 Finishes for hempcrete
19 Practicalities on a hempcrete build
20 Restoration and retrofit
Focus on self-build 2: Hemp Lime House

Part Three: Designing a hempcrete building
21 Design fundamentals
22 Indicative detailing
Focus on self-build 3:Bridge End Cottage
23 A look to the future The Authors: Alex Sparrow
Alex Sparrow works for one of only a handful of companies working with hempcrete in the UK and the only one to work with self-builders. Alex works on the strategic development of the company but still regularly take the opportunity to get his hands dirty on the building sites. Beyond the day-job, he is also a freelance writer on natural building.

William Stanwix
William Stanwix is a qualified building surveyor and founder of a growing UK company which specialises in new build and restoration with hempcrete and other natural building materials. Along with ongoing construction projects, Will provides consultancy, technical design and training for people interested in building with hempcrete and other natural building materials.