Hemp in construction - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 31

Hempcrete blocks waiting to be laid.

Blocks

Hempcrete blocks are usually laid by wetting on the surface and bedded using a thin mortar
of hydraulic lime and sand. They are coursed in such a way that thermal bridging (also
known as cold bridging - a 'cold bridge' is a break in an insulation layer that allows heat
to bypass it) between the outer and inner wall surfaces along the mortar joints is minim-
ized. The blocks cut easily with a hand saw, which is useful for fitting them closely around
the structural frame, but to improve the speed of construction and to minimize wastage the
frame should be designed around the block size, or vice versa.