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.

William Stanwix is a qualified building surveyor and founder of Hemp-LimeConstruct, a growing UK company that specializes in new building and restoration with hempcrete and hemp-lime composite materials. Alex Sparrow works for Hemp-LimeConstruct, one of only a handful of companies working with hempcrete in the UK, and is a freelance writer on natural building.

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


Resources