
Hemp House
A simple and joyful addition to a family home which demonstrates that building affordably with carbon-negative and regenerative natural materials is possible even at a domestic scale.
The brief for the project was explored and refined through nimtim’s unique briefing game. It set out the need for a flexible space that could be a robust backdrop to a busy family life but also host to exuberant and grown up dinners. The clients also wanted to do something that impacted the world lightly - using low carbon but also healthy, tactile materials.
The existing house was an almost stereotypical 1930s semi-detached with broad proportions and a pronounced textured rough-cast render. There was a shared ambition to celebrate the good qualities of the house but add something new that could provide the additional space but also a sense of joy and playfulness that the house so far lacked. One of the clients was a Sommelier so an efficient and elegant kitchen was a requisite.
The response was a rear addition that was simple in form but that borrowed from the simple pitched roofs of the existing home. The extension was built in timber & hempcrete - a bio-base material that absorbs and stores significant quantities of CO2 through it’s production. It is ‘breathable” and chemical free making it a great fit for the family.
Having had a more ambitious and radical proposal to expose the hemp externally behind a clear rain screen cladding disappointingly rebuffed by the Local Planning Authority, we reverted to a delicate natural render that complemented the existing house. This render was off-set with window frames in a cornflower blue.
Happily the Hempcrete could be exposed internally where appropriate. We set it against exposed timber in areas requiring more a robust finish and lit by generous roof lights fixed to an exposed timber structure. In order to reduce the programme and drying time we proposed using hemp both in-situ and as block construction. We worked with UK Hempcrete Ltd as well as with the structural engineer who had previous experience using hemp. We used large scale samples to test the material, construction and finishes.
We worked closely with Holte Kitchens to deliver a simple and materially rich kitchen space that flowed into the new dining and living space.
Structural Engineer: Foster Structures
Photography: Megan Taylor
Kitchen: Holte
Contractor: TW Space Conversions







