The document discusses the construction of a renewable house featuring sustainable materials and practices, such as hemp-lime composites and a design that promotes affordable housing. It outlines key facts about the house, including its cost, construction time, and the organizations involved in the project. Additionally, it highlights the environmental benefits of using hemp in construction, contributing to reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

1. The Renewable House
Nicholas Corker
Sustainable Development

2. Henry Ford: assault on a Soya Bean composite boot lid.

3. Pandaurban: Bamboo Bicycle (http://www.renovobikes.com/)

4. Samsung
recycle phone
80% Corn
Starch,
(http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/10/samsung-
unveils-green-phone-made-from-corn/)

5. Hemp trials at Easton College Summer 2009

6. Renewable House at BRE

7. Key facts
• 3 bedroom detached house – ‘affordable housing’
• Life time homes
• Built to code level 4 in 12 weeks
• Cost £75,000 excluding ground works
• Triple glazed
• Renewable materials
• 30-40% less CO2 in construction
Adaptable
configuration

8. Build partners
• Funded by DECC
• National Non Food Crops Centre
• Built by Linfords
• Lime/hemp expertise: Limecrete
• Social housing provider: Empyer Homes
• Project management: Benchmark property
• Architect: Archial

10. Hemp harvesting

11. Industrial Hemp
Fibre
s
Shiv or Hurd
Seed

12. Hemp shiv

13. Hemcrete
• Hemp shiv + binder = Hemcrete
• Binder (Tradical HB) = ‘Air lime’ (Calcium Carbonate),
cement, pozzolinic and mineral additives
The mix
I part shiv to 2 part binder + 60 L of water
• 1M3 of Hemcrete = 110 kg CO2 ‘locked’

32. BRE Centre for Innovative Materials University
of Bath
Defra LINK project:
“ Developing hemp –lime low-carbon construction for
mainstream uptake through innovation and optimisation”
BRE Trust project:
“Development of hemp based composite materials for
construction”

33. Hemp shiv - structure
xylem
~50µm
parenchyma
~10µm

34. Hemp lime – 1:1 mix

35. Mechanical tests

36. Carbonation @ 1:2 – ( Phenolphthalein)

37. Sources of information:
• BRE Innovation Park:
http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=634
• Renewable House web page: http://www.renewable-
house.co.uk/about/
• InSite 2009 web page: http://www.insite09.com/progress-
blog-part1.jsp
• BRE Centre for Innovative Materials University of Bath:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/bre/
• Corkern@bre.co.uk
Any Questions ?