Bill and Anne Smith instructed AECB members, Inspiration Architects of Newbury, to design a smaller house using one of the most environmentally friendly materials available – Tradical® Hemcrete®. This bio-composite building material made from hemp shiv (the woody core of industrial hemp) and a lime-based binder delivers a negative carbon footprint. Supplied by Oxford-based Hemcrete Projects – part of the Lime Technology Group – it also offers a unique combination of insulation and thermal inertia, properties that combine to create buildings with very stable internal environments that require very little heating or cooling.

Three years on the Smiths are still happy. “We have a delightful contemporary home that has been zero carbon from day one, and which has performed better than we expected. Its inherent qualities mean we have a very comfortable and practical house, which never feels stuffy. The walls not only breathe, they allow water vapour to pass through which helps passively regulate humidity and temperature. Not surprisingly, the house remains cool in the summer and warm in the winter.”

The only heating required for the two-storey detached house is a wood-burning stove with back boiler. Whilst a mechanical heat recovery system is installed, in the warmer months the unit is switched off and natural ventilation is all that is required to maintain what the owners describe as a ‘very consistent’ and ‘pleasant’ living environment.

Building using hemp and lime has exceeded expectations when it comes to running costs. With only wood needed to heat the house, and five PV and two solar hot water panels on the south-facing roof, net electricity costs are zero. Skylights above these panels enable heat to be stored in the house’s thermal mass. A rainwater harvesting system for flushing the toilets not only conserves scarce water resources, it also cuts water bills substantially.

Built in the garden of their former home, the new property is two storey, double heighted and glazed at both the east entrance hall and west garden elevations. It is finished with lime render and lime paint on the ground floor – also supplied by Lime Technology – and untreated oak board cladding above, which has been allowed to silver. The house was designed to meet the needs of an older couple with a large living area/kitchen opening out onto a patio, a utility room, shower room and study downstairs. Upstairs are two bedrooms, one with a balcony overlooking the garden, a box room and large bathroom. The downstairs study is designed to convert to a bedroom should mobility become an issue. The timber frame superstructure is echoed by internal oak doors and its extensive glazing makes the house very light. The windows and the glazed folding doors are in oak with a grey powdered aluminium external finish.

Building using a hemp and lime combination creates a substantial smoothing out of temperatures, thus reducing peak loads and the capital costs of an M&E system. The building fabric partially takes over the regulation of the internal conditions using the passive properties of the material, instead of using the active properties of the M&E system. Energy bills are low when compared to the running cost normally associated with a conventional new building, and occupants are quick to point out how much they appreciate the internal environment that building with hemp seems to create, including staying cool during this summer’s heatwave.

In addition to exceeding expectations based on conventional steady state U-values and standard thermal modelling, the process is also negative embodied carbon. This arises due to hemp capturing carbon dioxide during its rapid growth, whilst releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. The carbon is then locked up within the walls of the building to give a carbon negative solution.

The hemp and lime combination is now available in an “off-site” panel system. These panels are pre-dried in the factory to make the build process faster and easier.

Want to know more?

For the latest information on projects like this, please contact us.

REGISTER NOW and JOIN US AT Greenbuild 2012!

USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference & Expo is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Thousands of building professionals from all over the world come together at Greenbuild for three days of outstanding educational sessions, renowned speakers, a vast exhibition floor, green building tours, special seminars and networking events. Greenbuild is the four-time recipient of the IMEX Green Meetings Award and Tradeshow Weekly’s 50, and received an MPI Rise award for Organizational Achievement in 2010.

The 2012 show will take place Nov. 14-16, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. Greenbuild 2012 is bringing technology and sustainability together in the global green movement. We are going beyond buildings @ Greenbuild 2012. What will you do @ Greenbuild? It starts with you. It starts @ Greenbuild. The 2011 show was held on Oct. 4-7, 2011, in Toronto, Canada, drew more than 23,000 attendees and featured more than 1,700 exhibit booths. Visit greenbuildexpo.org and follow @greenbuild for more information.

Remember to experience the great speakers and networking of HIA 2012,  click here  and register today and save $100 over the door price.

US – Hemp: Republicans to the Rescue! – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dar-williams/hemp-republicans-to-the-r_b_857360.html

US – Hemp advocates turn up the volume – http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/05/hemp_advocates_turn_up_the_volume.html

US – Hemp House-Asheville, NC (revisited) – http://www.hemp.com/2011/03/hemp_house_ashville_north_carolina_video_on_using_hempcrete/

Facebook – From Concrete to Hempcrete – http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=433218040212 – (Note: You must have a Facebook Account to view this article.)

UK – GB Building Solutions Awarded £4.3m Centre - http://www.construction.co.uk/construction_news.asp?newsid=137705

UK – Hemp building at Science Museum in Wroughton – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-16854863

UK – Carbon ‘negative’ material launches as building block  – http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/carbon-negative-material-launches-as-building-block.aspx

UK -  10:10: How Adnams turned its beer green -  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/01/10-10-adnams

UK – Hall or nothing for Robert - http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/yorkshire-living/hall-or-nothing-for-robert-1-4141197

UK – Hemclad exhibits its sustainable credentials at new science museum storage facility - http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/hemclad-exhibits-its-sustainable-credentials-at-new-science-museum-storage-facility

UK – Hemp building at Science Museum in Wroughton – http://hemp.org/news/category/cannabis/lime-technology

UK – ‘Hemp house’ pioneers green answer to social housing - http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2011-10-25-Hemp-house-pioneers-green-answer-to-social-housing

CDA – New centre drives Alberta’s biomaterials companies towards new opportunities - http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/LandingPage.aspx?id=688620&p=1

New Green Building Products — February 2012 - http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/new-green-building-products-february-2012

Green Home Construction Commences at First Florida Hemcrete Project - http://www.prweb.com/releases/greenbuildingconstruction/tradicalhemcrete/prweb9795521.htm

Hemp and Lime Construction at WISE Video - http://www.solaripedia.com/214/2259/video-viewing.html

Super energy-efficient building exceeds client’s expectations - http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=17471

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Featured Products

• Tradical Hemcrete
• Hemclad Pre-cast Wall Systems
• Hembuild Pre-cast Wall Systems
• Breathe Insulation
• USHG Lime Mortars
• USHG Lime Plasters
• USHG Old World European Limewash
• Baumit Lime Stucco & Plasters

Want to know more?

For the latest information on projects like this, please contact us.

Al-Jazeera report on eco friendly sustainable hemp manufacturing. Benefits include carbon negative construction, breathability, and reduced cost of heating and cooling.

American Lime Technology, the North American leader in sustainable hemp and lime-based green building construction materials is proud to announce installation is underway at the first green home in Tarpon Springs, Florida utilizing Tradical Hemcrete.

Located just blocks from the coast, this green home will offer extraordinary benefits to occupant health, comfort, fire resistance, pest resistance, sustainability and energy consumption, as well as protect its occupants from Hurricane force winds. With a design typical of single family homes in Florida, this house is subtle, practical and quietly makes a bold statement about green construction for mainstream consumers.

Hemp and lime-based binder are cast over a largely conventional wood frame. Lime render (think breathable stucco without portland cement) exterior finish will be directly applied to the Hemcrete walls. The interior of the Hemcrete walls will be a coated with a thin layer of breathable natural hydraulic lime plaster which allows the beautiful organic Hemp aggregate texture to show through. The plaster will be finished with a limewash color coat.

This green building is not intended as a one-of-a-kind project, it will be available for sale. This project is also a prototype (designed in typical Florida ranch style) showcase for affordable green home construction projects planned across the state. The developer making this project a reality is Bob Clayton, a retired mechanical engineer with a deep interest in creating awareness of sustainable building technologies.

All of the materials including the Hemcrete are hygroscopic, fire-proof, and breathable. The exclusive use of lime and natural minerals in the building envelope materials ensures that no VOCs will off-gas and pests will find the wall absolutely unappealing. All construction will comply with the currently adopted Florida Building Code 2007 with Florida Building Code Supplements 2009 as well as Florida Fire Prevention Code 2007. In addition the house is designed to withstand wind speeds of 123 MPH.

Mario Machnicki, president and CEO of American Lime Technology will visit the construction site Tuesday August 13, 2012 to review construction progress with the developer, general contractor and architect. His visit will include a demonstration of lime render and lime plaster application.

Chicago, Il based American Lime Technology offers a range of construction materials and services to support forward thinking architects, engineers and building owners in their efforts to develop sustainable high performance residential, commercial and industrial building envelopes. Learn more about Tradical Hemcrete and other sustainable building materials.

The Clayton House is our latest project featuring the first Tradical ® Hemcrete® house in Florida. The house, built in a coastal community, will meet all hurricane safety codes. The walls will be constructed using Hemcrete® with a directly applied Baumit Lime Rendered Finish on the outside, and a US Heritage Group lime plaster on the interior walls.

These are revolutionary products to use in a hot, humid climate like Florida because the walls are entirely breathable, unlike commonly used concrete. In a climate like Florida’s, moisture and mold growth in buildings can be a major problem. Cured and dried Tradical® Hemcrete® is a vapor-permeable (Breathable) material that must pass moisture to the internal and external faces of the wall.

Tradical® Hemcrete® is a unique, highly sustainable construction product used to create insulating walls as well as insulation layers for floors and roofs. These products comprise a bio-composite building material that can be used to create buildings that have excellent thermal / acoustic properties as well as creating a healthy living and working environment. Tradical® Hemcrete® is sold in the US by American Lime Technology.

Featured Products

• Tradical Hemcrete
• USHG Lime Plasters
• Baumit Lime Stucco & Plasters

Want to know more?

For the latest information on projects like this, please contact us.

President Mario Machnicki will be speaking at this event, where environmentally conscious consumers will be able to learn about the history, development, and benefits of sustainable healthy building materials. The material highlighted will be Tradical^®Hemcrete^® – an innovative bio-composite insulation material made from industrial hemp and lime based binder.

Guests of the Green Festival will also be able to see the building of a Tradical^® Hemcrete^® wall to better understand the qualities that make Tradical^® Hemcrete^® an extraordinary and sustainable insulation material.

Products presented by American Lime Technology include:

Tradical^® Hemcrete^® – a blend of a lime based binder and the woody core of the hemp plant (shiv), it is a carbon negative, high efficiency, bio-composite material that creates highly thermally efficient walls.

Breathe^® Insulation – a healthy and sustainable bio-composite insulation product made from premium grade hemp and flax fibers, its lightweight nature makes it great for retrofitting and roof insulation.

Hydraulic lime mortar – a traditional building material that was widely used prior to the development of portland cement. Hydraulic lime mortars have greater flexibility, breathability and lower embodied energy than typical portland cement based mortars.

Limewash – a traditional breathable material that is suitable as a finish for historic brick, stone, plaster, and stucco, and it protects fragile or damaged masonry from weathering further. Limewash performs like a stain by penetrating deep into the pores of the underlying material creating a peel-free, breathable surface.

At a time where the words “bio”, “green” and “sustainable” are and tacked onto products ubiquitously, American Lime Technology is a source of genuinely sustainable building products. American Lime Technology products are made from materials including hemp-shiv and lime, making them breathable and highly insulative building envelope solutions that support a healthy living environment.

American Lime Technology is supporting not just sustainable building envelope solutions, but a sustainable lifestyle. Innovative products from American Lime Technology provide techniques for sustainable building to help solve energy problems, both present and future.

Visit  HYPERLINK www.greenfestivals.org for more information about the festival.

Contact:

Matt Engelmann

Sales Manager-North America

americanlimetechnology

engelmann@americanlimetec.com

773-286-0566 X 306 office

312-848-1935 mobile

773-286-1852 fax