With 12 stories, breathtaking views of Cape Town’s towering Table Mountain and a minimal ecological footprint, the world’s tallest building constructed from industrial hemp will soon open in South Africa.
Supported by a concrete and cement frame, the walls of the building are made of “hempcrete” blocks made from the Cannabis plant. It will offer 54 rooms and was due to be completed in June.
In an interview with AFP, the director of Afrimat Hemp, which supplies the hemp concrete, said that as more and more people discover the insulating, fire-retardant and ecological qualities of hemp bricks, their use in construction is booming.
He explained that the blocks are carbon negative, meaning they remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than they release during production, making them ideal for renovation thermal insulation of old buildings, especially in Europe.
“The plant takes the carbon, puts it in a block and then stores it in a building for 50 years or more,” said Boshoff Muller, the director.
Industrial hemp from Hemp Hotel nevertheless comes straight from Great Britain, as its production was illegal in South Africa until last year, when the South African government finally started issuing cultivation permits. According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, more than 130,000 new jobs could be created if the hemp and cannabis sector were developed in the country.
In order to obtain carbon credits, Afrimat Hemp is preparing to manufacture its first batch of blocks using only hemp grown in South Africa.
