{"id":3941,"date":"2022-02-25T18:10:40","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T23:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/havenearth.biz\/2022\/02\/25\/flame-resistant-hemp-blocks-survive-australian-bushfire\/"},"modified":"2022-02-25T18:10:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T23:10:40","slug":"flame-resistant-hemp-blocks-survive-australian-bushfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/havenearth.biz\/2022\/02\/25\/flame-resistant-hemp-blocks-survive-australian-bushfire\/","title":{"rendered":"Flame-Resistant Hemp Blocks Survive Australian Bushfire"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cured hemp blocks (background) at Hemp Squared in Bridgetown, West Australia survived a bushfire Feb. 5 that destroyed the factory and blocks that were partially cured (foreground). Photo courtesy of Hemp Squared Pty. Ltd.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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By Jean Lotus<\/em><\/p>\n

An Australian bushfire this month put the spotlight on the fire-resistant properties of hempcrete blocks, offering a sustainable construction solution for areas in danger of wildfires.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No one died Saturday, Feb. 5 in the mid-afternoon blaze that swept through the village of Bridgetown (pop. 4,500) and evacuated the town about 150 miles southeast of Perth in Western Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the Hemp Squared<\/span><\/a> Pty. Ltd. block factory in Hester Brook, about a mile outside of town, was destroyed in the fire, founder\/owner Iggy Van told HempBuild Magazine. Ninety percent of the company\u2019s stock was lost in the fire, but a stack of fully cured blocks made prior to Christmas survived, Van said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cInterestingly, the blocks that survived were stacked on [wooden] pallets,\u201d Van said. \u201cThe pallets burned down, but the blocks did not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hempcrete, or hemp-lime insulation is fire resistant <\/span><\/a>because of the lime in the mixture. The combination of hemp, lime and water cures after about six weeks into a stone-like material that regulates temperature and humidity when used as a \u201cmonolithic\u201d insulation envelope in wall assemblies.<\/p>\n

Hemp masonry homes<\/span><\/a> are encouraged by the Australian government\u2019s Department of Energy, as sustainable building solutions in a country where bushfires<\/span><\/a> have destroyed thousands of homes causing billions of dollars in damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hemp block \u2018nano factories\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

A former tech manager with a background in electrical engineering, Van turned hemp-building entrepreneur when he became frustrated building his own house on a steep hillside that was hard to reach with traditional building machinery and equipment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In January, Hemp Squared received a $75,000 economic development grant from the government to upgrade their facilities to produce 200,000 blocks per year, about enough to build 60 hemp masonry homes in Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an exciting month,\u201d Van noted, wryly.<\/p>\n

Like some companies in the United States, the company has used hemp hurd imported from France until enough of a local supply is produced, Van said. He hopes Hemp Squared will help provide a market for hemp hurd in the slowly evolving Australian hemp growing industry<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s business model consists of transportable \u201cnano-factories\u201d that can be brought to a building site, or have hemp raw materials delivered separately.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a modular approach,\u201d Van said. \u201cWe can stuff it full of hurd and binder and take it to a site. The only thing we require from the customer is that there is a large shed where we can put the blocks to dry,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Bridgetown bushfire Feb. 5, 2022. Photo courtesy of Dunsborough Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shift in the wind<\/strong><\/p>\n

The town of Bridgetown was spared from destruction by a shift in the wind and a light rain the next day that helped the Dunsborough Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade put out the blaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Along with the Hemp Squared manufacturing facility, a golf course clubhouse was also destroyed by the fire, and Van hopes the town can build community by gathering together to rebuild \u2013 with hemp blocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an opportunity from all this. That\u2019s the silver lining,\u201d Van said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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