Why from 2021 hemp construction materials will be massively used in France
Straw and various wood fibers (primarily technical hemp) are considered as thermal and acoustic insulation, structural elements, thermal insulation and acoustic insulators, internal and external coatings, raw materials for filling wooden structures, as well as foundations for load-bearing walls (concrete).
Environmental regulations 2020 (RE2020) and the law on housing (ELAN law) will apply to all structures erected since January 1, 2021. It is the requirements of the above legal acts that will determine the choice of materials used during construction since 2021. In anticipation of the entry into force of new requirements for buildings and structures being created, participants in the French construction market are actively working to ensure that their projects have minimal impact on the environment, and also replace traditional building materials with biological materials during construction.
Biological materials planned for use in construction
The most frequently mentioned bioresource materials are wood in all its forms - structural elements, frame, panels of transversely glued wood, glued wood, cladding, fixing panels, parquet floors, and joinery.
Straw and various wood fibers (primarily technical hemp) are considered as thermal and acoustic insulation, structural elements, thermal insulation and acoustic insulators, internal and external coatings, raw materials for filling wooden structures, as well as foundations for load-bearing walls (concrete). Technologies are being developed for use in the construction of natural paints, which are completely manufactured on the basis of vegetable oils.
Creation of relevant rules / regulations
When embarking on a bio-based construction project, the main difficulty faced by modern builders is the reliability of the structures under construction. One of the main ways to insure the construction, built on the basis of biological materials is the development of professional rules and regulations of construction work. For example, the French straw construction network (Le Réseau Français de Construction Paille, RFCP) developed professional rules for the construction of buildings and structures from straw - CP2012.
They were approved on June 28, 2011 by the Commission for Product Prevention (Commission Prévention Produit, C2P) of the French Construction Quality Agency (de l'Agence Qualité Construction). From January 2017, after four years of work experience, these professional rules are accepted by C2P without the need to further monitor the safety of building operation, built within the framework of the above regulations. At the moment, they are a guide for using straw as a raw material for construction / insulation / plaster. Compliance with these professional rules allows to ensure the execution of works that meet the general construction standards of France. From September 1, 2013, there is an Environmental and Health Declaration Form (Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire, FDES) related to construction using straw.
The French Association of Hemp Construction (L'association Construire en Chanvre) has made similar efforts and has developed several professional rules / regulations to carry out work related to the use of concrete, as well as other building materials based on cannabisa in order to ensure the stability of the structure based on various components plants: bearing walls of concrete, roofing insulation, hemp plaster, floor insulation, etc. Since May 2015, there is a generally accepted FDES on the topic “Non-structural construction of hemp concrete walls” (“Structure de mur non-porteuse en béton de chanvre projeté”).
Approaches to construction using bioresources
France has developed two main approaches to building / renovating buildings or structures based on biological resources.
The first involves the replacement of conventional building materials with similar ones obtained from bio-resources without changing the structure of buildings. For example, the replacement of insulation made on the basis of mineral fibers for similar insulation materials made on the basis of biological raw materials. This concept is applicable to the insulation of walls or attic rooms, an increase in the use of materials from biological sources other than load-bearing structures (partitions), interior wall and floor coverings, external cladding, etc.
The second one includes changes in the design of buildings made on the basis of biological materials. The basis of this concept is interest in the intensification of local economic activity. For example, the use of hemp raw materials grown in the construction region as construction materials.
Commentary of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"
Taking into account global trends in the construction market, a round table entitled “Hemp Raw Materials - Technologies for Using It in Construction, Production of Biocomposite Materials and Furniture” will be held within the framework of Hemp University , to be held in October-November 2019. During the event, not only the trends, problems and prospects of hemp construction in our country will be considered, but also a resolution is planned to be adopted to facilitate the introduction of changes in legal acts that promote the introduction of hemp technologies for the development of “green building” in Ukraine.