Hempcrete explained, why building with natural materials has so many benefits, Alex Sparrow, UK Hempcrete

Very informative conversation with Alex Sparrow, author of The Hempcrete Book, about what hempcrete is, and the wider benefits of building with natural materials.

Alex Sparrow is founder and MD at UK Hempcrete Ltd., an English company with an international reach, specialising in the design and construction of the structural and thermal envelope of buildings from bio-based, renewable, carbon-sequestering and often recycled materials.

As well as construction and specialist material supply, UK Hempcrete offers design, consultancy and training services to assist others in the use of natural materials in construction.

Alongside his work at UK Hempcrete, Alex currently holds two board positions in the wider industry:

- The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) (London)
The ASBP works from a position of independence from government and from short term commercial interests. An organisation which champions construction products that are better for people and the environment, and companies and organisations prepared to push these aims forward, the ASBP seeks to support industry to make better decisions, and legislators to make better policy. Since joining the board in 2017, Alex has been working on the development of the ASBP Awards scheme which showcases construction projects that manifest the phillospohies behind the ASBP's "6 Pillars" model of sustainable construction.

- YorSpace CLT (York)
YorSpace is a Community-led Housing Developer building high-performance homes designed on passive solar principles and highly insulated, reducing the power they consume. The organisation is committed to using natural & low carbon building materials, helping to pioneer the urgently needed shift towards a full decarbonisation of homes and communities. By embedding fairness and cooperation in all its decision making, Torspace is creating homes that have community inclusion and cohesion embedded in their design.

Alex co-authored "The Hempcrete Book; Designing and building with Hemp-lime", (pub 2014, UIT/Green Books); often cited as the definitive guide to this better-than-zero-carbon construction material.

This, together with over a decade of practical experience in both hempcrete design and construction and the wider bio-based construction industry, has resulted in an increasing international demand for Alex's consultancy services and appearance at conferences, industry speaking engagements etc.

In advancing the cause of natural construction methods in the UK and further afield, Alex is seeking to develop a wide network of like-minded companies in "coopetiton", to assist with the delivery of exciting future projects aimed at speeding up the decarbonisation of the construction industry.