Ex-cop builds momentum for use of hemp in homes

KYNETON man Joe D’Alo is leading a “rediscovery” of hemp as a building material.

Joe D'Alo gets working on some more hempcrete products. Picture: Hamish Blair

KYNETON man Joe D’Alo is leading a “rediscovery” of hemp as a building material.

Mr D’Alo built the first complete hemp home in Victoria­, has constructed or contributed to several more and is now fielding increased requests­ for guidance on using hempcrete blocks.

Mr D’Alo left a high-flying career in Victoria Police to pursue his sustainable building ambitions 12 years ago.

A magazine article which detailed the use of hemp by French retrofitters in centuries-old buildings proved a revelation.

“What they found in France was great results as both an effective insulator and of the creative rendering techniques you could use to complement it,” Mr D’Alo said.

“From there the small industry­ started thinking why couldn’t hemp be used in new builds. They did and it worked and it fuelled my interest­ to learn more.”

Mr D’Alo said hemp farming had been slowly squeezed out of viability in the USA as DuPont promoted nylon and cotton in the 1930s, while composites materials had similarly derailed its use in home construction.

Hempcrete consists of hemp hurd (the woody core from hemp plants turned to woodchips), lime binder and water.

“It’s very similar to rammed earth and it looks like fluffy porridge which is embedded into timber frames to form the bales,” Mr D’Alo said.

“The big advantage is it is produced on site and it takes a day or so to master.”

Mr D’Alo, whose product has attained a CodeMark certification­ and GreenSmart accreditation, said a build with hempcrete was likely to be 20 per cent more in cost than a standard house. But the reduced energy bills, longevity and health benefits outweighed the costs.

“A house made of hemp will have little, if any extra heating and cooling costs, while using lime will in theory turn back to limestone over time,” he said.

“It is the type of building material which should be considered in the Macedon Ranges which is zone seven of the eight climate zones and one below alpine.”

Having rediscovered the value of hemp in building, Mr D’Alo hopes he can lead a revolution for the plant that has been maligned for being a close relative to the cannabis plant.

But unlike cannabis, hemp has almost no Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

“The hemp plant is extraordinary,” he said.

“It is such an aggressive grower, it repairs contaminated soils and it locks up carbon dioxide — it could be a very viable response to climate change if governments were prepared to investigate the science further,” he said.

In November, Mr D’Alo will run Kyneton workshops on hempcrete building.

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Joe D'Alo inside his workshop. Picture: Hamish Blair