Climate change and its impact on nature is an urgent challenge facing us all. The global construction industry is responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions; construction materials in Iceland alone account for 45% of Icelandic buildings’ carbon footprint.
Now that it is possible to grow industrial hemp in Iceland, utilising it as a key building material offers a direct remedy in reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint.
This first BioBuilding prototype project is a testing ground in constructing almost exclusively from Icelandic ingredients: locally grown and processed materials comprising timber frame, hempcrete shell and timber cladding together with footings prefabricated in Iceland. To test and demonstrate the viability of using Icelandic-grown and processed hempcrete we have started to build a small prototype “teahouse” building that will act as a first of its kind real life hempcrete laboratory in Iceland.
Industrial hemp in Sandholl, South Iceland - September 2022
PROTOTYPE BUILDING 01
The building is small: less than 2.5m tall and no bigger than 15 sqm. This allows for more freedom to experiment with the building material.
Considering the site location, limitations of height and size within which we are operating and the nature of the project it only seemed apt to take inspiration from the Japanese culture of the Tea House: originally a practice that encouraged humility and simplicity.
In this setting the building offers a space for contemplation. It is directly connected to its natural setting as views through two large windows open up to Ingólfsfjall on one side and a small forest on the other.
The cultivation of the hemp from Sandhóll will be used to gather data, optimising the processing procedures and lending invaluable statistics for the future upscaling of hempcrete use in Iceland.
The prototype building forms an integral part of the overall goal of the project, which is demonstrating the use and the potential value of Icelandic hempcrete. It is a pilot project that serves to educate and introduce the material to the building industry and the wider public.
HEMPCRETE WORKSHOP
October 2022
Lúdika arkitektar in collaboration with Hampfélag Íslands organised a workshop that took place at Kjartansstaðir just outside Selfoss in October 2022.
Participation was open to everyone who wanted to learn about hemp and its potential uses involving a hands-on demonstration on how to mix hempcrete and pour it into a mock-up wall.
The workshop began with a lecture by Professor Tom Woolley about natural building materials with a special emphasis on hemp, which was followed up with the practical demonstration where participants had the opportunity to get their hands dirty.
Tom Wooley is a professor of architecture from the UK, an industry expert in hempcrete construction and other natural building materials with extensive practice experience in Scotland and England.
Project made possible by funding from:
