Hemp blocks are life-scale and made from a sustainable material called hempcrete (Very unlike it’s small plastic counterpart!)
Hempcrete is essentially a mixture comprised of hemp herd (the inner core of the hemp plant) and natural lime. Hemp is rapidly renewable resource. In fact, hemp grows so quickly that it can be harvested in just 90 days, unlike with traditional lumber where a tree can take 20+ years to reach maturity. Lime is also far more environmentally friendly than concrete, it re-absorbs the CO2 that was released when it was being manufactured. Additionally, hemp sequesters 1.6x its weight in CO2 wile the plant is growing.
Between the CO2 absorbed by the hemp as it grows, and the lime re-absorbing the CO2 during production it is considered a carbon-negative material. It even exceeds the passive house standards for energy consumption.
In addition to its environmental benefits, building with hemp block is easier and more practical to work with than traditional concrete or hempcrete because you don’t need to wait for it to dry.
The hemp and lime mixture is cast around a structural frame, giving it the load bearing capacity of high performance concrete. Hemp block has all the benefits of a concrete wall, but with half the weight, 10x the insulation value, and absolutely no VOCs.
Each block weighs only 25 lbs, and stack and interlock together making it fast and easy product to work with. Unlike traditional masonry, hemp blocks are self-leveling, just stack up the wall and its ready to go!
Additionally, each block has pre-cast conduit holes every 5.3” to make it easy to run electrical while you stack. This product contains no sand, so it can be easily cut onsite with a band or reciprocating saw.
Hemp block prices similarly to conventional building materials but has far superior performance. This modular building block is a great insulator and has a 2hr + fire rating that maintains 100% of its structural integrity.
We’re excited to start using this building block in upcoming projects. Take a look at this video to see how it works!