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Offsite hemp building system proves its worth
at flagship Marks & Spencer store
Hemclad®, an innovative pre-fabricated wall panel developed by Lime Technology, is proving its worth on the new 195,000 sq ft Marks & Spencer store being built in Cheshire Oaks Designed by Aukett Fitzroy Robinson and being builtby main contractor Simons Construction, the project is one of the most high profile sustainable retail projects ever undertaken in the UK. Having adopted many new and unique techniques in its design and construction, the use of offsite produced Hemclad® is helping to demonstrate the commercial viability ofrenewable materials in mainstream construction.
Offering the cost effective and fast track construction credentials associated with offsite construction, the Hemclad® system uses renewable materials to create high levels of insulation, thermal inertia and negative embodied carbon.
The system features large timber cassettes which are built in a factory with a bio-composite insulating material made from a lime based binder and hemp shiv. Once dried, Breathe®*, a hemp and flax fibre insulation quilt is installed creating a panel with a U value of 0.12. The panels are then delivered to site and lifted into place.
It’s the use of hemp that provides the system with its astonishing green credentials. Hemp like other plants, absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere during growth. This CO2 is then locked up within the Tradical® Hemcrete®, which in turn is locked up within the structure of the building, reducing theembodied carbon footprint of the building. The Tradical® Hemcrete® also has thermal inertia which provides for a more stable internal temperature and lower energy use.
Lime Technology is currently producing 230 prefabricated panels for the construction of the store’s external walls. The panels are typically 2.4m high x 4.8m wide and 400mm thick.
“The project has progressed extremely well with the panel installation progressing according to plan. The large panels are easy to install and make a large visual impact very quickly,” said Piers Ashley Carter, MD of Hemcrete Projects Ltd who erected the panels on site.
