Prototype House Made of Hemp

The film director Steve Barron commissioned Practice Architecture to support him in building a house for himself. In collaboration with engineers and material specialists, the architects developed large panels out of hempcrete – a mixture of lime and hemp. In the course of the project, Practice Architecture also developed hemp fibre tiles, each bound with sugar-based resin obtained from agricultural waste, and used them to clad the house’s outer walls. The result is a network-independent house with heating and power provided by a biomass boiler and a solar panel array on the roof. The Flat House is located on Margent Farm, a 53-hectare agricultural property in Cambridgeshire.

Practice Architecture is a London-based studio with over ten years of experience in the realisation of innovative projects. Its work ranges from small community projects to extensive new buildings, and includes large-scale master plans and strategies. Practice Architecture is not only dedicated to creating affordable, high-quality and ecological buildings that celebrate their materiality, but also leads the market in the field of low-carbon construction technology. Its clients to date include OrganicLea, Brent Council, The Architecture Foundation, The National Trust, Manchester International Festival, Bold Tendencies, ARUP, The Yard Theatre and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).