Production
of hemp limestones
IsoHemp hemp limestones made in Belgium from only four ingredients
Where tradition becomes innovation
The simple and ingenious thing about hemp bricks is the combination of the organic insulating material hemp hurds with the mineral binder natural lime.
Hemp hurds are the woody parts of the plant stem that are left over as waste during hemp fibre production (for example textiles). Like natural lime, these hurds have a porous basic structure that is ideal for use in ecological house construction: for an excellent thermal insulation value as well as for the absorption and release of moisture.
The fourth ingredient: time. Once the hemp hurds have been pressed into shape with natural limes and minerals with the addition of water in a brick machine, they are air-dried. The drying time in fresh air is about 6 to 10 weeks, depending on the thickness of the stone. After that, the brick can be laid.
IsoHemp: Manufacturer of hemp stones
IsoHemp manufactures sustainable products for the construction and renovation sector. The company offers its customers solutions for sustainable and efficient insulation of building envelopes for all new construction and renovation projects, whether residential, service or industrial. The company operates in 5 countries through a very extensive distribution network, but is headquartered in Belgium, in the province of Namur. The factory produces more than two million hemp bricks every year and has 4,000 pallets in stock at all times.
The goal is to provide the highest level of comfort and well-being in your home while helping to reduce energy costs.
The added values that IsoHemp offers:
- Expertise: we put all our experience at your service and we offer you the best solution for your construction or renovation project.
- Reliability: a high-quality, certified building material that guarantees living comfort and well-being.
- Ecological: all our products and production processes are environmentally friendly.
- Customer proximity: our team is ready to accompany your project from start to finish.
- Healthy living space: we work exclusively with natural raw materials that pose no health risks.
The 4 steps of hemp stone production
The production of hemp stones requires well-founded know-how and this is exactly what has distinguished IsoHemp for several years.
1. mixing
The raw materials (hemp, lime, water) are very precisely dosed and mixed.
3. drying
As soon as the stones are shaped, they are automatically transported to an intermediate storage facility where they are dried for the first time. After that, they are manageable and ready for transport. This natural drying process does not require free air circulation.
2. moulding
The hempcrete is then shaped into 6 to 30 centimetre thick bricks using a special press.
4. stacking on pallets
Once the stones are manageable, they are stacked on a pallet with the help of a robot. The pallet is now ready for drying in the open air. This drying time takes 6-10 weeks, depending on the thickness of the manufactured bricks. After that, the pallet is ready to be transported to the construction site and used for your building project.
IsoHemp, that is sustainable building with hemp
2011: The company IsoHemp is founded. The founders Oliver Beghin and Jean- Baptiste de Mahieu are both passionate about sustainable building. They came up with the idea for this business project during a meeting with a Belgian researcher who specialised in the use of hemp in construction. Thanks to their technical know-how and collaboration with professionals from the sector, the two engineers are developing a range of building materials made from lime and hemp.
2012: After a year-long research and development phase, they develop a range of hemp bricks specifically designed for the production of doublings and building envelopes. And so the IsoHemp hemp stone was born, a sustainable, local and 100% recyclable product! The philosophy of this stone is to create an insulating building envelope that lets the house breathe, regulates humidity and temperature in the house and reduces noise pollution.
2013: After an initial phase of artisanal production, which also lasted a year, IsoHemp is going full steam ahead into industrial production with greatly expanded production capacities: IsoHemp produces so many bricks that it can be used to build several houses a day.
2014: With an investment of over one million euros, a completely new production facility is being built in the province of Namur in the heart of Belgium.
2017: IsoHemp continues to push forward with development and doubles the area of its production site to almost 1 ha for this purpose.
Today, IsoHemp can boast thousands of new residential and renovation projects. The company employs 20 people and operates both in Belgium and abroad.