Hempcrete by William Stanwix
Natural building specialist and co-author of The Hempcrete Book — hempcrete, lime, and clay plastering, design, and training.
About
William Stanwix is a natural building specialist based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, working with hempcrete, lime, and clay across new-build, renovation, and heritage projects. He founded Hemp-LimeConstruct in 2008 — the first specialist hempcrete building company in the UK — and has been working with hempcrete and other natural materials since 2008.
Stanwix is co-author, with Alex Sparrow, of The Hempcrete Book, published by Green Books. Between 2017 and 2020 he worked with brickmaker HGMatthews developing natural building materials including structural earth blocks, earth plasters, hempcrete blocks, hempcrete lintels, and prefabricated hempcrete panels. He is also a co-founder of the Hemp Block Company, supplying hempcrete blocks in the UK.
Alongside building and consultancy work, Stanwix runs training courses in lime and clay finishes and has presented on natural building at Grand Designs Live, UK Construction Week, and Futurebuild, including alongside Kevin McCloud and George Clarke. He produces his own range of clay plasters.
What they offer
- Hempcrete construction — Design and build of hempcrete walls, floors, and roof insulation for new-build, extension, and renovation projects
- Lime and clay plastering — Internal clay plasters and external lime renders and plasters, including on hempcrete, straw bale, and heritage substrates
- Heritage and listed building work — Hempcrete and lime repair and renovation of period and listed buildings
- Design and consultancy — Project design and technical advice for hempcrete and natural building projects
- Training and courses — Practical courses in lime and clay finishes, run periodically at varying venues
- Clay plaster products — A range of clay plasters produced and sold directly
Notable projects
- Margent Farm Yoga Studio, Cambridgeshire — 2019 hempcrete installation for a yoga studio at Margent Farm, alongside Graham Durrant and Bob Bloore
- Giant Hempcrete Block Extension, Derbyshire — 2019 project designing and manufacturing oversized hempcrete blocks and pre-cast lintels, built by Midlands Heritage Builders
- Listed Cottage Restoration, Evesham — 2013/14 repair of a timber-framed listed building, replacing failed foam insulation with hempcrete and lime render
- Own House, Chesham — New-build hempcrete house combining hemp blocks, cast hempcrete, and sprayed hempcrete in a single build
- Bellingdon Village Nursery, Buckinghamshire — Octagonal earth-block and hempcrete nursery building designed by Gernot Minke, built as HGMatthews' flagship project
Project photos
Photo: William Stanwix
Photo: Midlands Heritage Builders
Photo: William Stanwix
Photo: William Stanwix
Photo: William Stanwix
Photo: William Stanwix