France’s 1st carbon-negative building thanks to hempcrete, new hemp-based 3D ink, seaweed yarn, biobased epichlorohydrin and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of December 29th

#1 Hemp helps France claim world’s first carbon-negative building

In France, architecture firm lemoal lemoal has built what it claims to be the world’s first carbon-negative building, thanks in large part to the carbon-sequestering power of hemp.

The 4,000 square foot Pierre Chevet sports hall in Croissy-Beaubourg was constructed using Hempcrete, a construction alternative that incorporates fast-growing, water-efficient hemp and has advantageous insulation, acoustic and fire-resistant properties.

lemoal lemoal tells Dezeen that convincing clients to use the more rustic-looking hempcrete was the biggest challenge, but that the firm was able to sell them on the energy savings. “Numerous studies estimate that hemp is one of the best CO2-to-biomass converters. It’s even more effective than trees. Industrial hemp absorbs between 8 to 15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare of cultivation,” researcher Darshil Shah the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at Cambridge tells Hemp Industry Daily.

Construction materials account for just over 10% of global carbon emissions.

More on the story, here.