In 1999, we embarked on a unique venture by building the first homes in the UK using hemp. The homes are located at Haverhill in Suffolk.
The project involved building two pairs of homes of exactly the same design – one using traditional block and render construction and the other using hemp and lime around a timber frame.
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) carried out research into the two building methods, paid for in part by a £60,000 Innovation and Good Practice grant from the Housing Corporation. A range of other partners also supported this innovative work, including St Edmundsbury Borough Council, the Housing Corporation, HAPM, Chenevotte Habitat (a French hemp producer), and HL2 (a UK producer of hydraulic lime).
Three reports were produced after the project was finished and all these can be downloaded:
You can also view
the construction of hemp homes in pictures.
Find out more about other
developments we have completed.