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1here has been a loL of mlsconcepLlon over Lhe lasL slxLy-odd years
abouL a very useful planL, and unLll recenLly, wlLh Lhe appearance of hemp-
flbre cloLhlng ln AusLralla, mosL people have known very llLLle abouL
lndusLrlal hemp's uses and beneflLs. As well as lL's use as a cloLhlng flbre,
hemp may be used for lL's nuLrlLlous food value, bloremedlaLlon
capablllLles, carbon-sequesLraLlon, hemp plasLlcs and as a bulldlng maLerlal.
MosL of us can relaLe Lo wearlng a comfy hemp shlrL, buL acLually growlng
and bulldlng a famlly-slze house ouL of hemp ls way ouL of our realm of
experlence.
klara Marosszeky of AusLrallan Pemp Masonry Company and aul
8enhalm of hLLp://!!!"#$%&%'()*+,-./0+/"1*' are on a mlsslon Lo
change LhaL. klara and aul are eager Lo lnLroduce Lhls emerglng lndusLry Lo
any lnLeresLed owner/bullders, professlonals ln Lhe consLrucLlon lndusLry
and prospecLlve growers of lndusLrlal hemp. 1hey are keen educaLors, and
beLween Lhe Lwo of Lhem, have a wealLh of knowledge and experlence LhaL
Lhey are happy Lo share. 1he flrsL weekend ln SepLember, Lhey hosLed a
hemp bulldlng workshop ln 8yron 8ay -- hopefully Lhe flrsL of many -- whlch
l was forLunaLe enough Lo aLLend as a guesL of 1he Cwner 8ullder
magazlne.
As a prospecLlve owner/bullder, l have long been lnLeresLed ln
alLernaLlve, susLalnable bulldlng maLerlals. lL ls lmporLanL Lo me LhaL l use a
bulldlng meLhod LhaL mlnlmlses my lmpacL on Lhe envlronmenL. My goal ls
Lo use recycled or renewable maLerlals LhaL produce Lhe leasL amounL of
carbon ln boLh Lhelr producLlon and LransporL. Cf course, cosL ls a facLor as
well -- lL's goL Lo be cheaper Lhan Lhe currenL cosLs of consLrucLlon, whlch
are hlgher Lhan mosL people can afford.
Cverseas, l had experlmenLed wlLh bulldlng small sLrucLures (chook
houses, sheds) uslng sLraw bales, cob, and mudbrlck wlLh preLLy good
success and general saLlsfacLlon. ln Lalklng Lo llke-mlnded owner/bullders ln
AusLralla, however, Lhe sLandard warnlng ls LhaL Lhose bulldlng meLhods
are suscepLlble Lo whlLe anLs. ApparenLly, whlLe anLs wlll readlly Lravel
Lhrough sLraw bales, cob and mudbrlck Lo reach Lhe LasLy Llmber
componenLs of bulldlngs. ln addlLlon, some oLher naLlve lnsecLs wlll drlll
holes lnLo muds and morLars Lo nesL and lay Lhelr eggs. Several people l've
meL who have bullL wlLh 'sawcreLe' have hlghly recommended LhaL maLerlal
for varlous reasons. l'm really noL comforLable wlLh Lhe 'creLe' parL Lhough -
- ln addlLlon Lo belng averse Lo Lhe smell of cemenL, l'm noL keen on belng
surrounded by a falrly Loxlc subsLance LhaL wlll 'off gas' lnLo my llvlng space
for a number of years. l'm wary of concreLe walls LhaL don'L breaLhe, and l
dlsllke mould. ln addlLlon, Lhe exLremely hlgh energy usage LhaL lL Lakes Lo
produce and LransporL cemenL really doesn'L slL well wlLh my consclence.
Pemp masonry has been used ln oLher counLrles such as SwlLzerland
and Lhe u.k., and ln !apan Lhere ls a hemp bulldlng whlch has been sLandlng
for cenLurles. l'd heard LhaL hemp consLrucLlon was belng lmplemenLed
here ln AusLralla, and Lhrough Lhe lnqulrles l made locally, lL all sounded
really poslLlve. lndusLrlal hemp farmlng has flnally been legallsed ln nSW,
so Lhe flbre can be sourced falrly locally. Pemp flbre, when mlxed wlLh llme,
ls a sLrong, whlLe anL repellanL, non-Loxlc, flre reslsLanL and renewable
maLerlal. 1he hemp bulldlng meLhod sounded really promlslng, and l
wanLed Lo learn more!
1he hemp bulldlng workshop hosLed by klara and aul was held aL
SLarseed Carden nursery ln 8yron 8ay on 4Lh SepLember. 1he workshop
was Lhe flrsL of lL's klnd and well aLLended - Lhe expecLed number was
around a dozen buL over 30 lnLeresLed people showed up! 1he mornlng half
of Lhe workshop was held lndoors ln Lhe fanLasLlc '1ea Pouse' aL Lhe
nursery, Lhen ln Lhe afLernoon we were spllL lnLo groups and had hands-on
experlence ouLslde, mlxlng and consLrucLlng hemp walls for Lhe reLro-flL of
an old pumphouse on Lhe properLy.
(l musL Lake a momenL Lo remark on Lhe SLarseed Carden nursery
lLself - lL alone was worLh Lhe Lrlp Lo 8yron. 1he nursery ls bullL on Lhe
grounds of an old commerclal plggery, and creaLlve use has been made of
Lhe barns, plLs, and ouLbulldlngs. All maLerlals ln Lhe garden and surrounds
appeared Lo be re-used or recycled, and some lngenlous walkways, ponds
and growlng meLhods are used. Lven Lhe concreLe manure plLs are used for
growlng waLer planLs. lL's hearLenlng Lo see whaL was once an lndusLrlal
farm Lransformed lnLo an lnvenLlve and ecologlcally mlndful buslness
venLure.)
ln Lhe mornlng sesslon of Lhe workshop, we sLarLed wlLh each
aLLendee lnLroduclng Lhemselves and Lelllng how Lhey came Lo be
lnLeresLed ln hemp bulldlng. AmongsL Lhe group, l counLed four people
lnLeresLed ln growlng lndusLrlal hemp, Len owner/bullders, one archlLecL,
Lwo englneers, and eleven professlonal bullders! lL was greaL Lo see LhaL
many people who are already ln Lhe bulldlng lndusLry showlng lnLeresL ln
hemp consLrucLlon -- and hearLenlng Lo know LhaL even professlonal
bullders are ready Lo Lhlnk ouLslde Lhe box!
aul gave a brlef overvlew of hls lnvolvemenL ln Lhe hemp lndusLry.
aul ls recognlzed lnLernaLlonally for hls hemp research and developmenL,
has publlshed several books on lndusLrlal hemp and lL's uses, and has
speclflc lnLeresLs ln hemp as a food source and ln hemp plasLlcs. Pe
ploneered Lhe hemp food and hemp plasLlc lndusLrles ln Lurope ln Lhe 90's.
aul ls Lhe self-descrlbed compuLer geek ln Lhe Lroupe, and spends Lhe bulk
of hls Llme lndoors wrlLlng, conducLlng research and markeLlng.
klara ls Lhe ouLdoor hands-on person, and has been lnsLrumenLal ln
esLabllshlng Lhe hemp lndusLry ln nSW. She gave us an overvlew of her
[ourney from Lhe llLLle llghLbulb LhaL appeared over her head Lo Lhe
developmenL and employmenL of Lhe flnal producL LhaL she ls now uslng.
She became lnLeresLed ln lndusLrlal hemp because she recognlsed lL's
varled uses and beneflLs, and envlsloned Lhe hemp bulldlng lndusLry as a
susLalnable, soclally consclous buslness. She noLed LhaL hemp produces an
enormous flbre blomass, far greaLer Lhan foresLry and ln a much shorLer
perlod of Llme. Pemp can be farmed susLalnably wlLhouL Lhe use of
ferLlllsers or pesLlcldes, and lL sequesLers large amounLs of carbon durlng lLs
growLh (ln facL, lL conLlnues Lo Lake up carbon from Lhe aLmosphere when
used as a bulldlng maLerlal). 1he planL also has Lhe capaclLy Lo remedlaLe
polluLed solls, and she clLed examples of where lL's been used for LhaL
purpose.
AfLer playlng around wlLh mlxlng whole hemp flbres and varlous
blnders, klara Look her ldeas Lo her broLher MarLon, who has an exLenslve
background ln consLrucLlon Lechnology and managemenL. AL nSW
unlverslLy, MarLon helped her Lo develop a blended blnder based on
hydraLed llme (readlly avallable ln AusLralla) LhaL ls mlxed wlLh Lhe whole
hemp flbres and clean sand Lo form a llghLwelghL, sLrong maLerlal LhaL noL
only meeLs bulldlng sLandards, buL ls also envlronmenLally responslble and
economlcally vlable. 1he flnal producL LhaL Lhey have produced for Lhe
markeL conslsLs of Lwo pre-measured bags, Lhe flrsL conLalnlng Lhe hemp
flbre and Lhe second conLalnlng Lhe blnder. 1he bullder supplles Lhe sand,
and by mlxlng Lhe Lhree parLs wlLh a blL of waLer, produces masonry for Lhe
lnflll of framed walls. MarLon was also presenL aL Lhe workshop, and spoke
brlefly abouL Lhe Lechnlcal properLles of hemp masonry, lL's soundness and
sLablllLy as a bulldlng maLerlal.
klara Lhen lnLroduced us Lo Lhe process of growlng and harvesLlng
hemp flbres for use as bulldlng maLerlal. 1he average owner/bullder,
provldlng Lhey do noL have a prlor drug convlcLlon, can geL a llcence ln nSW
Lo grow lndusLrlal hemp (whlch does noL conLaln enough 1PC Lo be of any
llllclL use). lndusLrlal hemp can be grown ln [usL abouL any soll, requlrlng
mlnlmal ferLlllser and no pesLlclde appllcaLlon. She explalned LhaL Lhe hemp
planL ls a fasL grower, produclng large amounLs of flbre ln a shorL Lurnover
perlod. lL ls posslble for an owner/bullder Lo grow enough hemp, ln one
crop, on one hecLare of land ln 3-4 monLhs Lo bulld a 133 square meLre
house and a small shed.
Cur hosLs Lhen opened up a quesLlon and answer sesslon, and for Lhe
beLLer parL of an hour Lhe quesLlons were flylng Lhlck and fasL! aul, klara
and MarLon flelded lnqulrles openly, and answered every one wlLh
professlonallsm and Lhorough knowledge. 1hese people obvlously knew
Lhelr sLuff -- we never heard 'we'll have Lo geL back Lo you on LhaL....' 8y
Lhe end of Lhe mornlng, all Lhe aLLendees were qulLe exclLed by Lhe whole
premlse of hemp consLrucLlon, and anxlous Lo geL our hands dlrLy.
AfLer a dellclous lunch hosLed by Lhe nursery, we were all lecLured on
Lhe lmporLance of uslng personal proLecLlon equlpmenL such as masks,
safeLy glasses and gloves, when mlxlng and handllng hemp masonry. 1he
llme ln Lhe mlx ls causLlc, and can cause lrrlLaLlon Lo skln and eyes.
klara and aul Lhen spllL us lnLo Lwo groups. 1he flrsL group busled
lLself wlLh Lhe mlxlng of Lhe hemp masonry. 1he pre-measured sack of flbre
was empLled lnLo a drum-Lype mlxer and dampened sllghLly wlLh waLer.
1he bag of blnder was Lhen added slowly as Lhe drum Lurned, Lo coaL Lhe
flbre evenly. Clean sand was Lhe flnal addlLlon, and afLer Lhorough Lurnlng
and mlxlng, whaL we wound up wlLh was a sllghLly damp, fluffy mlxLure LhaL
smelled llke weL hay. lL's flufflness accounLs for lL's enormous lnsulaLlng
value, as well as maklng lL llghL and easy Lo work wlLh. klara explalned LhaL
Lhe worklng Llme wlLh hemp masonry ls much longer Lhan wlLh concreLe
mlxes, so we were ln no hurry. 1here was plenLy of Llme for each
parLlclpanL Lo have a play wlLh Lhe mlxlng, learnlng how lL should look and
feel, and Lhe besL ways Lo geL Lhe deslred resulL.
Meanwhlle, Lhe second group was over aL Lhe old pumphouse,
learnlng how Lhe shuLLerlng was consLrucLed and applled. AlLhough a meLal
frame sLrucLure may be used, klara recommended LhaL Lhe meLal be coaLed
wlLh proLecLlve palnL. Pemp masonry 'breaLhes', allowlng alr and molsLure
Lo pass ln and ouL of lL -- Lhls ls greaL advanLage when you're Lalklng of
allevlaLlng mould problems, buL lL could cause corroslon or rusL lf Lhe meLal
ls noL proLecLed. klara prefers Lo see a wood framed sLrucLure, wlLh Lhe
hemp masonry used Lo compleLely encase Lhe frame, Lhereby proLecLlng
Lhe wood from flre and whlLe anLs. 1o Lhls end, Lhe shuLLerlng or formwork
ls bullL so LhaL lL slLs several cenLlmeLres away from Lhe frame lnslde and
ouL. klara fllls ln abouL 60cm ([usL over half a meLre) ln helghL aL a Llme,
presslng Lhe mlxLure down lnLo Lhe shuLLerlng, Lhen allows Lhe hemp Lo
cure overnlghL before movlng Lhe shuLLerlng upwards on Lhe wall for Lhe
nexL run. 1he walls are generally abouL 20cm Lhlck, and Lhe flnal resulL on
Lhe old pumphouse looked really beauLlful, wlLh no Llmber showlng. When
compleLely cured, Lhe walls may be rendered wlLh a flner flber for a
smooLher flnlsh. Any Lype of render and/or palnL can be used, as long as lL's
breaLhable.
Lveryone aL Lhe workshop had a chance Lo Lry Lhelr hand aL boLh Lhe
mlxlng of Lhe hemp masonry and Lhe lnfllllng of Lhe walls. 1he wheelbarrow
beLween Lhe mlxer and Lhe pumphouse was consLanLly on Lhe move, and ln
shorL order we had compleLed Lhe flrsL run on Lhe walls. All Lhe whlle, klara
and her rlghL-hand woman, ueb, were earnesLly answerlng our quesLlons
and keeplng us worklng and learnlng. lL was a really busy and saLlsfylng
afLernoon.
ln reflecLlng on Lhe workshop as l [ourneyed back Lo my home ln Lhe
hllls, l aLLempLed Lo welgh Lhe pros and cons of bulldlng wlLh hemp
masonry from Lhe perspecLlve of an owner/bullder. l could only summon
up Lwo (sorL of) negaLlve aspecLs of bulldlng wlLh hemp. ldeally, a bulldlng
masonry would be load-supporLlng, and ellmlnaLe Lhe need for a wood or
meLal frame. Pemp masonry ls noL dense enough Lo be load-bearlng, 3-/ lL
ls LhaL same llghLwelghL, alr-fllled aspecL LhaL glves hemp lL's superlor
lnsulaLlon quallLy and breaLhablllLy, whlch are feaLures for whlch l wlll
happlly make Lhe Lrade-off. 1haL sald, lL no longer really maLLered LhaL lL
wasn'L load-bearlng. 1he oLher lssue was LhaL Lhe llcenslng and monlLorlng
hassle of a small-scale hemp crop sounded llke lL may noL be worLh lL. lf l
wanLed Lo grow hemp on a large scale -- Lo harvesL, process and sell Lhe
crop on Lo someone else -- Lhen Lhe cosLs and hassle would be worLhwhlle.
ln my slLuaLlon, where l really would need very llLLle flbre by comparlson
(and have no way of processlng lL), l could more easlly [usL buy Lhe pre-
measured hemp and blnder from klara. So, any weak argumenLs agalnsL
bulldlng wlLh hemp were preLLy well squashed.
As for Lhe poslLlve aspecLs, Lhey were numerous -- and saLlsfled
mosL, lf noL all, of my self-lmposed requlremenLs. Lcologlcally speaklng,
hemp ls susLalnable, renewable, local, has a low carbon fooLprlnL and ls
hlgh carbon-sequesLerlng. l could sleep peacefully ln my hemp house
knowlng LhaL l'd acLually lefL a zero- or negaLlve-carbon fooLprlnL ln Lhe
growlng and bulldlng of lL. Pemp masonry meeLs bulldlng sLandards, ls flre-
reslsLanL, non-Loxlc, breaLhable and repels whlLe anLs. 1he cosL ls
manageable Loo, and bulldlng may be done ln sLages lf funds are noL always
avallable.
1he upshoL ls -- l am deflnlLely a hemp consLrucLlon converL!
Someday, when my house plans are ready Lo become reallLy, Lhe AusLrallan
Pemp Masonry Company wlll be geLLlng an order from me.

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