French experience of multi-storey construction using hempcrete in dense urban conditions
The example of the construction of multi-storey social housing in Paris demonstrates the high efficiency of using hempcrete in dense urban development to solve complex architectural problems. The combination of innovative and traditional construction technologies, the use of environmentally friendly and bio-oriented materials, such as hempcrete, confirms its relevance not only in low-rise, but also in multi-apartment construction. This project serves as a clear example of how sustainable approaches in architecture can be successfully integrated into modern urban conditions, providing comfort, energy efficiency and environmental safety of housing.
On the pages of
the specialized electronic publication of national hemp growers, materials are
published with a certain periodicity, characterizing the development of various
types of construction technologies, which are based on the exclusive properties
of the hemp plant. The editors pay special attention to the implementation of
projects for the construction of multi-storey buildings, which are based on the
physical (heat/sound insulation, moisture absorption), as well as biological
properties of hemp concrete. That is why we talked in detail about the
construction cannabis hotel in South Africa , social housing in France , elite in Italy . I would like to separately focus on “ Promotion of hemp themes by French
builders ” and the
development of “ French technologies in the construction of
multi-story buildings using hemp concrete ”. One of the striking manifestations of the
effectiveness of using hemp concrete to create complex projects for the
construction of multi-story buildings is the construction of a building on Rue
Pradier in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
Mobile architectural bureau “ MAO” Architectes ” in collaboration with the design bureau for enclosing structures and the environment “ LM” Ingénieurs ”, companies “ Espace - Temps ” , “ VPEAS ” and “ Clarity ” Studio ” by engaging the company “ Tempere” as the general contractor Construction ” (specializing in small projects that are extremely complex to implement) built a multi-story building with an area of 820 m2 for 25 social housing units. The peculiarity of the construction was that the street on which the multi-story building was being erected was extremely narrow with one-way traffic, the site for construction was surrounded by adjacent buildings on three sides, and the building itself “touched” the already functioning ones. The consequence of the above circumstances was a catastrophic lack of space, as well as the use of unconventional construction technologies. Based on the complexity of the task, the building was constructed using several construction technologies that had never been combined before.
The supporting
structure was made of concrete: 20 x 20 cm columns, “covered” with reinforced
concrete floor slabs. The street facade is made of “soft” 30 cm thick blocks,
and the lintels and individual decorative details, especially exposed to rain,
are made of “hard” stone imported from Portugal.
Behind the facade, stapled to the concrete structure, there is a 15mm air gap, then a layer of 30mm mineral wool, a timber frame with 45 x 120mm posts, in the cells of which there is 12cm of hempcrete.
From the inside,
the wooden frame box is “closed” with decorative lime panels.
From the courtyard side, the facade wall is made of a wooden frame with a cross-section of 45 x 145 mm, filled with hemp concrete. The thickness of the hemp concrete is 30 cm, and on the outside, as well as in the facade part, it is covered with a lime-sand coating, and on the inside - with a Fermacell slab with a thickness of 12.5 mm.
“Clean”
condition of social housing created in a multi-storey building, the basis of
the construction of which is hemp concrete
A special feature
of the multi-storey building design is the different thermal resistance of the
front (2.23 m2.K/W) and rear (4.19 m2.K/W) facades, which are caused by
different layers of hemp concrete filling the wooden frame of the building.
Conclusion: the example of the construction of multi-storey social housing in Paris demonstrates the high efficiency of using hempcrete in dense urban development to solve complex architectural problems. The combination of innovative and traditional construction technologies, the use of environmentally friendly and bio-oriented materials, such as hempcrete, confirms its relevance not only in low-rise, but also in multi-apartment construction. This project serves as a clear example of how sustainable approaches in architecture can be successfully integrated into modern urban conditions, providing comfort, energy efficiency and environmental safety of housing.
