Sustainable House Day is an annual event sponsored by Renew, a not-for-profit organisation committed to showcasing excellence in sustainable construction, which has paid continued attention to hemp construction over the past few years because of the many obvious benefits of this form of building.
Whether you’re looking for a super comfortable home with great thermal performance, or wanting to reduce your operational energy use, hemp construction is tangible carbon storage in action.
Although many of us don’t have the chance to visit a home in person on the open house weekend, there are some beautiful and interesting hempcrete projects large and small that are worth reading about. A few of them are shared here.
Indica Hemp House in WA builder Gary Rogers from Hemp Homes Australia.
“This impressive passive designed hemp house in Wilyabrup, WA is the passion project of its owners who were dedicated to proving you could build with a locally sourced revolutionary material to a high modern standard. With high thermal insulation, fire resistance, breathable walls, sequestering CO2, this hempcrete home is airtight, efficient, elegant, healthy and produces little waste.”
Indica Hemp House has won the Best Eco-Luxury Vacation Property category in the Western Australia and Construction Innovation Excellence Award 2025 in the 2025 Australian Enterprise Awards by Corporate Vision. 2024 MASTER BUILDERS WA South West Awards Winner – 2024 Best Country Home South West; Winner – Best Contract Home in price class; Winner – Excellence in Alternative Finishes; Winner – Best Alternative Construction Home; Winner – Excellence in External Finishes; Winner – Supervisor of the Year, Gary Rogers, Hemp Homes Australia
Stanleys Hempcrete House in Marrickville (Sydney) NSW designed by Tracy Graham from Connected Design and built by Sowden Building Solutions (designers and builders of multiple hempcrete homes in Sydney.)
” All new external walls are 90mm timber framed with hempcrete and insulated timber framed floors. Structurally insulated panels for the roof, double glazed windows, green roof, native garden and edible garden. Washing machine and all toilets connect to existing rainwater tank. The main aim of the renovation is to create a more thermally comfortable home in natural materials that would also benefit us from the health benefits of using hemp – reduced risk of mould and breathable finishes.”
Dulwich Hill Hempcrete Renovation , Sydney NSW designed by Tracy Graham from Connected Design with Sowden Building Solutions as the builder”‘Renovations were made to enhance this home’s connection to the backyard and improve thermal comfort without increasing space. Features include a spacious kitchen, living area, and internal laundry, alongside a covered outdoor space. Strategically designed elements optimize natural light and shade, with services and insulation contributing to energy efficiency. Since completion in 2021, the home has remained remarkably comfortable, seldom requiring air conditioning or fans.”
Jane’s Hemp House – Shepherds Ground Ecovillage, Butterwick, NSW Hunter Valley, Conceptual design by architect Graeme Burgess Builder Shane Hannan and Hannan Build working with some volunteers.
This small footprint 120 sq m hemp home features sustainable timber, solar panels, composting toilet and water tanks. “What I love about living in my hemp house is it that it feels to me as I walk into it that it actually breathes. It has that feeling of a house that it’s alive … It works with me as a home. It’s sustainable. It’s all those wonderful things.”
Kirrawee Hempcrete Duplex , NSW designer Tracy Graham from Connected Design, builder Sowden Building Solutions. Winner of the BDAA Liveable Housing Design Award in 2023
“‘Kirrawee Hempcrete Duplex’ is a single-storey dwelling that blends social and environmental sustainability, offering affordable, accessible housing for a senior couple and their daughter. Recognized with the 2023 Liveable Housing Design Award, it exceeds Silver and Gold level criteria of the Liveable Housing Association. Environmental features include passive heating, hempcrete walls, insulated roof panels, and rainwater tanks. Social initiatives like ShareWaste complement financial sustainability through low electricity and water usage, resulting in credits on bills, while a thriving veggie garden provides fresh produce year-round.
Geoff’s Hemp House, Narara Ecovillage, NSW builder James Isaacs Belubula Hemp Homes working with volunteers.
“Geoff’s house is a highly thermally efficient 8.8 star hemp house with exposed slab on ground and slab edge insulation. It uses passive solar design. The main roof faces due north, tilted up at 20 degrees and is designed to take 20KWh of PV panels (it currently has 11KWh installed) and has 1.0m eaves to east and west. There are south facing clearstory windows for summer ventilation plus a heat recovery ventilation system. All external windows and doors are double glazed with FSC hardwood frames.”
Eternity Beach House Belongil Beach, Byron Bay Designed and built by Balanced Earth Building.
“Eternity Beach House is a sanctuary located just steps from pristine Belongil Beach. It was designed to let the outside in with wide sweeping decks and entertaining area. Renovated with organic materials and fitted with the latest technology, the three double bedroom house is designed with the environment in mind and convenience at your fingertips. Hempcrete was chosen for many of the internal walls, softening sounds and allowing the house to breath with the salty sea air. “
Donna’s Hempcrete House, Narara Ecovillage, NSW, designer Envirotecture. The build was constructed by Ryan White from Ebuild and Construct and the hempcrete was installed with the support of community volunteers over a 2 week period “I really loved building with hempcrete and really appreciate living in a hempcrete house”
“This modest 130m² 3-bedroom house sits on a sloping block with sweeping views across the valley in Narara Ecovillage. The single story house is split over two levels following the natural slope of the site, so it nestles into the landscape. It is a thermally efficient, 8.3 star home built using a multitude of passive design features. The upper level has a burnished concrete floor, which provides thermal mass to help regulate temperature, while the lower level has a suspended, timber-framed magnesium oxide floor.”
Hemp Roundhouse Crookwell NSW designed by Lucas Martin, Randall Dutaillis, Architects and built by J L Proudman Building.
“The home features hempcrete walls, double-glazed aluminium windows and doors outside, and timber ones inside. The home sits on a waffle pod concrete slab and there is a cork floating floor above. The internal ceilings are radiator ply that have been finished with two coats of Ecolor Polyclear, which has no VOCs. The home is independent of all services and has: Dry composting toilet; Off-grid solar system with battery backup; LED lighting; Induction cooking and Heat pump hot water system.”