Prefabricated walls made of Tradical® Hempcrete – building in record time
Although hempcrete prefabrication is a growing sector due to the material’s thermal, acoustic and health properties, the fact that prefabrication can save time is also worth considering.
Companies can deliver projects in record time and find solutions to challenges faced by project owners.
Six key factors for faster project delivery
1. A solution that was easy to reproduce
- Prefabricated panels were produced in exactly the same way (2 m x 50 x 5 m) and adapted to delivery requirements
2. Panels manufactured in one and the same place
- LCA and Entreprise Fernandez worked at LCA’s production site.
- LCA made the frame structure swiftly thanks to their material expertise and Entreprise Fernandez cast the hempcrete directly on site.
- Working at the same site avoided costly transport between workshops, reduced production time and was less tiring for the workers.
3. Local storage facilities
- From the outset, LCA reserved a part of their site for on-site storage of the panels, again reducing transport needs.
4. Making the most of the holiday period!
- The hempcrete was cast in compliance with French professional rules over a few days in July.
- As hempcrete does not take very long to dry (28 days to attain the required performance ratings – like for concrete) thanks to Tradical® Thermo lime, the panels were left to dry over the summer break.
- After the holidays, the panels were ready to be delivered to the building site.
5. Well thought-out transport
- The dimensions of the panels were calculated by LCA’s engineering consultants to be sure they would fit on the truck.
- The panels were carefully laid one on top of the other and separated by planks.
- The weight of the panels was pre-calculated to ensure they would not compress the wood fibre boards that covered them.
6. A record assembly time – one week
- Thanks to a layout plan produced by the agency CAN-ia, which specialises in this building method (prefabrication plus hempcrete), the assembly time was really short: just one week for about 200 m² of walls.
Pre-integrated conduits and ducts
to guarantee the performance of the prefabricated Tradical® Hempcrete walls
Acting both as architecture and engineering experts, CAN-ia had planned in advance to integrate conduits and ducts in the body of the panels themselves. This solution has long been recommended by BCB Tradical®. It meant that the placement of conduits and ducts was pre-planned.
The solution not only made work easier for the electricians, but importantly also ensured that the thermal and acoustic performance of Tradical® Hempcrete was maintained by avoiding any thermal bridges.
The conduits were integrated at the casting stage, avoiding the need to cut any chases.
The teamwork fostered by the builders and the main contractor was a stroke of genius; this solution will definitely be used for other building projects in the future.
Project profile for the Taffeneaux logistics base
The project
- Tertiary sector building: New build for a logistics base
- Location: Les Taffeneaux – a Sable d’Olonne district council project
- Office surface area: 400 m²
- Workshop surface area: 600 m² for servicing and repairing household waste collection trucks
Project actors
- Contracting authority: Sables d’Olonne district council
- Main contractor: CAN-ia – Hangar 20, 20 Quai des Antilles, 44200 Nantes, France. can-ia.fr.
- LCA – Les Charpentiers de l’Atlantique: Timber framework and Tradical® Hempcrete panels
- Entreprise Fernandez: Tradical® Hempcrete casting in LCA’s workshop
Building methods for the office space
- Hempcrete-filled timber frame walls, glue-laminated timber framework
Hempcrete supplier
- BCB Tradical®: walls cast with Tradical®Thermo + Chanvribat®
Characteristics of Tradical® Hempcrete prefabricated walls
- Panel dimensions: Max. length of 5 m and a height of 2.4 m
- Number of panels: about 40
- Volume of hempcrete: 42 m3
Contact us for more information
BCB Tradical®: contact@weber-tradical.com
Case study produced by Sandrine Wiart, BCB Tradical® Press Officer. Tel.: +33 (0)134 947 733
Examples of hempcrete homes and buildings