France's first carbon-neutral public building made of fire-reinforced concrete

Aerated concrete weighs eight times less than conventional concrete and has excellent thermal and acoustic properties as well as fire resistance. A hemp plant can grow up to 4 meters in 90-120 days, which means it can use local raw materials to make building materials with exclusive characteristics. 

The editors of the specialized electronic resource of national cannabis growers have traditionally raised the issue not only of efficiency, friendliness to the human body, but also the environmental friendliness of buildings and structures erected using building materials made on the basis of hemp ingredients. Traditionally, attention has been focused on the fact that in economically developed countries, one of the main factors that are taken into account during the creation of hemp facilities is not only the cost of their construction and operation, but also such a criterion as the minimum emission of CO2 during the manufacture of building materials, construction of a building. as well as the binding of carbon dioxide during its operation. That is why our dear readers and listeners should be interested in the information of our French colleagues about the commissioning of a public building built of fire-reinforced concrete, the highlight of which is the neutrality of carbon emissions.

Walls of the sports center "Pierre Chevet" made of fire-reinforced concrete 

A French architecture and landscape company based in Croissy-Beaubourg has built the country's first public building made of boned concrete, the Pierre Chevet Sports Center. The 380-square-meter building is built of boned concrete and features a gym and changing rooms designed for visitors to engage in basic or specialized workouts.

According to the employees of the architectural and landscape agency “Lemoal Lemoal” who implemented this project “Kostrobeton weighs eight times less than conventional concrete and has excellent thermal and acoustic properties, as well as fire resistance. A hemp plant can grow up to 4 meters in 90-120 days, which means it can use local raw materials to make building materials with exclusive characteristics. Hemp is lighter and cheaper than wood and can grow 100 times faster than oak, for example. ” 

During the preparatory work for the creation of the project, the factor was taken into account that hemp can capture carbon twice as efficiently as a forest consisting of deciduous or coniferous trees. According to project participant Sonya Sifflet, “Hemp is one of the best converters of CO2 to biomass, and the plant is more efficient than trees in this matter. Industrial crops of industrial hemp absorb from 8 to 15 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare of the grown crop. " The calculations carried out by the employees of the architectural and landscape agency indicate that during the operation of the "Pierre Chevet" sports center, the reinforced concrete will absorb carbon dioxide, enhancing the strength characteristics of the walls from which it is made. If we take into account the amount of CO2 that the hemp plant used in the growth process, add to this indicator carbon dioxide, which will be absorbed during the operation of the building, it turns out that the construction of the sports center built of fire-concrete will be at least carbon-neutral. 

The walls of the building are made of reinforced concrete and then covered with fiber cement panels in order to protect the hemp building blocks from the external aggressive environment. Hemp raw materials were grown and processed within a radius of several tens of kilometers from the manufacturer of bone-concrete.

Modern finishing of fire-reinforced concrete with fiber cement panels

At Lemoal Lemoal, the main problem with using hemp building materials right now is convincing clients that it is a viable alternative to concrete, because the brick wall looks a little more rustic and less sophisticated than concrete. And although it is currently more expensive than traditional building mixtures, due to its insulating properties, it is extremely effective in the long term due to lower utility bills, which in a short period of time compensate for its “initial high cost ”.

Commentary of the specialists of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

Building materials account for about 11% of the world's carbon emissions. The construction industry continues to look for ways to reduce its carbon footprint, while scientists, architects and manufacturers are looking for natural materials that can be used cost-effectively and extremely effectively in the construction industry. The physical, mechanical, biological, therapeutic characteristics that nature has laid in the hemp plant predetermine the worldwide popularity of the hemp plant as the basis for the creation of the modern hemp building materials industry.