Image via Lemoal Lemoal
In a French first, Paris studio Lemoal Lemoal has used hempcrete blocks to construct the Pierre Chevet Sports Center, which could be the first public building built from the biomaterial in the country.
Situated in the town of Croissy-Beaubourg near Paris, the 380 square-meter (4,090 square-foot) center consists of an exercise hall and changing rooms. According to Dezeen, the walls of the building are infilled with hempcrete blocks, made by cement manufacturer Vicat using lime mixed with hemp hurds. Its façade is painted in a vibrant white, with cement-fiber panels protecting the hemp blocks from the elements.
“The structure is a mix of timber and hempcrete blocks, wooden half-vaulted porticoes lean against a wall of hempcrete blocks for support. This combination frees a maximum space for practicing sports, and allows large opening of two façades to the public space,” the building’s architect told Dezeen.
Some sections of the walls were treated with hemp plaster, as well, a technique used in hempcrete buildings to help conceal the material’s original texture. Using hemp to construct the building has its pros, such as high thermal and acoustic performance. The panels used are fire-resistant to the REI 30 standard too.
As architecture turns towards more eco-friendly designs, hemp has seen a surge in demand as a construction material. Being a biomaterial, it helps reduce the carbon footprint of a project.
For the sports center, the hemp panels used for construction were grown and fabricated within 500 kilometers (310 miles) of the site, minimizing transportation emissions for an even more eco-conscious build.
“The Pierre Chevet Sports Hall is the first new public facility built with hemp-concrete blocks; it helps to engage stakeholders in the building industry in ecological transition and helps to reduce the number of different materials used,” said the studio.
Image via Lemoal Lemoal
Image via Lemoal Lemoal
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