From Field to Wall - A Family House crafted with Hempcrete Prefabricated Panels Developed on Site

"The body of the house is entirely made of materials that have been grown."

Paloma Gormley of Practice Architecture

Flat House is a low-carbon residential building in Cambridgeshire designed by Practice Architecture in collaboration with Material Cultures. The project was conceived as a demonstration of how agricultural by-products can be integrated into contemporary construction systems to reduce embodied carbon and support regional material economies. The primary construction system consists of a prefabricated timber frame combined with hempcrete wall panels. Hemp shiv grown and processed at Margent Farm was mixed with lime binder to form hempcrete, creating a breathable bio-based wall assembly that provides insulation and moisture regulation. Timber wall cassettes were fabricated off site and infilled with hempcrete before installation, improving construction efficiency and quality control. The building envelope is finished with hemp-based cladding boards produced from compressed hemp fibres, further extending the use of agricultural material within the façade system. Internally, exposed timber elements and natural finishes support a low-toxicity material palette. The project demonstrates how a mono-crop agricultural material can be incorporated into a scalable construction system while supporting local supply chains and reducing reliance on carbon-intensive building materials.