Civil Engineering Reference
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in itself to support the weight of the roof and upper floors. The set hempcrete, though, does
provide a good strength in tension, which provides racking strength to the timber frame,
meaning that the use of timber can be minimized in a well-designed frame.
It is perfectly possible to construct large buildings, including those with structural frames
of glulam, steel or concrete to accommodate several storeys or cross large spans, using cast
hempcrete. However, these are more likely to involve complicated frame designs, and in
the case of very large buildings it is likely to be quicker and more cost-effective to use pre-
fabricated hempcrete panels or blocks or sprayed cast-in-situ hempcrete than to place the
hempcrete by hand.
Glulam roof structure in a large hempcrete building.
For buildings of up to two or three storeys, hand-placed cast-in-situ hempcrete provides
a natural, sustainable and low-tech walling system which, though relatively labour-intens-
ive, is easy to construct and is comparable in cost to conventional masonry. Big savings
can be achieved by self-builders and community groups who can provide their own labour.
The fact that the hemp aggregate is a natural plant material has implications for the design
of the building, for which 'a good pair of boots and a good hat' is generally recommen-
ded. In other words, the building should have a good-sized masonry plinth to lift the bot-
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