Tregothnan land is producing an ever greater diversity of innovative crops, such as Hemp. Tregothnan invited Martin Edwards to present this product to 129,000 visitors from the Tregothnan pavilion at The Royal Cornwall Show. This recent report highlights the potential of Hemp as a building material.
LIME-HEMP GETS COUNCIL’S GREEN GO AHEAD
published in 'Whats new in building', May 2008
Lime Technology
Following the successful achievement of a superb Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating – the measurement of homes energy efficiency - Carrick District Council, Cornwall, has awarded Tradical® Hemcrete® a glowing, green thumbs up and the green light for the first house in Cornwall to be constructed using this new hugely sustainable Thermal Walling product.
Tradical® Hemcrete® is formed from a blend of specially prepared hemp shiv and a lime based binder. It constructs buildings that will require only the minimal heating or cooling, allowing energy demands to be met from on-site renewables. With a carbon negative footprint it is able to deliver buildings that are better than zero carbon.
With environmental concerns so high on the agenda, especially within the construction industry, this product offers developers an opportunity to successfully meet, and in some cases exceed, green targets.
Martin Edwards, the owner & project manager of Cornwall’s first house to use Hemcrete®, said ‘Our house has received a superb SAP rating, thanks to the use of Tradical® Hemcrete®. Our modern, eco-friendly house is situated 63 metres above sea level, overlooking Gerrans Bay and Nare Head and was designed to have strong thermal performance. This included insulating the cold walls of the North East and North West elevations with Tradical® Hemcrete®’.
“As a council committed to sustainability, a product such as Tradical® Hemcrete® is hugely welcome. Not only is it good for the environment but it offers great performance and I am sure will play a pivotal role in helping to create a number of environmentally friendly buildings in the region,” commented David Allen, Head of Building Control at Carrick District Council.
To ensure local labour could be used to build the project at Gerrans Bay and therefore support the local community as much as possible, the building contractor was invited to a comprehensive training course at Lime Technology’s HQ in Oxfordshire. Here they received full training in the application and on site use of Tradical® Hemcrete®.
With Tradical® Hemcrete® receiving more and more acclaim as the perfect, sustainable resource for insulation walls, roofs and floors, this specialised training resource increases its practicality and availability. Therefore, a rising number of fresh projects can incorporate it into designs, ensuring green targets are met with ease.
Chief Executive of Cornwall Sustainable Trust, Paul Bright stated, “Tradical® Hemcrete® has a lot to offer the environment and is an exciting and unique addition to building materials. I’d love to see it used on more new builds.”
