Architecture: The story behind the world’s tallest building constructed out of hemp

ARCHITECTURE

The story behind the world’s tallest building constructed out of hemp

84 Harrington in Cape Town CBD is a testament to what is possible when it comes to alternative, sustainable building materials.

“I bought 84 Harrington in 2016, with the idea being that it would become the flagship Hemporium store, a steak restaurant, and house the ‘Hemp Hotel,’ starts Duncan Parker, Founding Partner and CEO of Hemporium.

Parker had the vision to create a place where people could experience living in a hempconstructed space. “From a sustainability and eco-construction perspective, we wanted to take hemp construction in South Africa to the next level while contributing to the inspiring hemp construction projects being undertaken globally,” he says, adding that it was also their belief that once licenses for the commercialisation of hemp in South Africa were issued, having innovative examples of what can be achieved with hemp would assist with leading the way for the fledgling hemp industry in the country.

There is a massive increase in the global demand for bio-based construction driven by the need to reduce CO2 emissions. Hemp construction is considered the gold standard for CO2 reduction in buildings.

Previously, hemp houses built in South Africa used hempcrete. This was not feasible for a project of 84 Harrington’s scale, and inspiration was taken from hemp blocks developed in Europe. “With this in mind, Hemporium naturally looked for strategic partners on this project, which we found in Wolf and Wolf Architects and Afrimat Hemp,” says Tony Budden, Founding Partner and Director, Hemporium.

“Afrimat Hemp prides itself on having an innovative and entrepreneurial culture, always looking at global trends,” says Boshoff Muller, Managing Director, Afrimat Hemp. The company focuses on carbon-neutral construction and unlocking value in the industrial hemp sector. According to Muller, Afrimat Hemp has developed its own formulated lime binder for hempcrete and produced the hempcrete blocks for the construction of 84 Harrington at one of its commercial block plants.

Wolf & Wolf Architects is a small practice specialising in contemporary and sustainable architecture and are considered pioneers of hemp construction in South Africa. They are passionate about pushing the envelope of hemp construction.

With 84 Harrington, they have set a precedent that will aid in stimulating the growth of the sustainable building materials market in South Africa. The success of the project would also not have been possible without R&N Master Builders, who played a significant role in the construction of this building as well as pioneering commercial bio-based construction for the future. “Having a reputable and skillful contractor like R&N made this project possible and shows that they are forward-thinking and ahead of the pack when it comes to the construction sector,” Parker said, explaining that they are highly pleased with the outcome and look forward to seeing more hempcrete buildings in Cape Town soon.

The benefits of using hemp in a multi-story building:

• Hemp is 100% natural, CO2 absorbing, energy saving, and durable, • The superior acoustic performance ensures privacy between units. • Vapour-permeability: The ability of hempcrete to easily absorb and release moisture assists with regulating the buildings’ internal humidity, thus maintaining healthy indoor air quality. • The lower density of the hemp blocks reduces the load of the walls on the foundations and therefore the cost of concrete. • Using hemp blocks reduces the CO2 footprint of a building as well as its operational CO2 footprint