Getting the basics right - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 94

Since hempcrete is not strong enough to be load-bearing, it is always cast around (or, in the
case of pre-cast, built around) a structural frame, which supports the weight of the upper
floors and roof and provides stability to the hempcrete. When subjected to excessive force
in testing, hempcrete tends to 'fail' by bending, rather than breaking, and this flexibility
of the cast material can be a very useful characteristic, for example enabling a hempcrete
building to tolerate small ground movements over time.
Hempcrete is always cast around a structural frame.
Hempcrete has very good thermal performance, partly owing to the insulation provided
by the air trapped within the cast material, and partly owing to the relatively high thermal
mass of the finished material, which means it can store heat. For more details, see Chapter
4, page 62 .