Hopcrete for Gooik

BC materials was commissioned by the Bree-eik Eco-Farm to develop an insulating material made from hop vine agrowaste. The resulting hop fiber material would be used as a building element in a residential building supporting farm life, designed by BC architects.
Hop vines are a by-product in the supply chain of beer. Once the hop cones (the flowers used for beer production) are harvested, hop vines become agrowaste, and are burnt or disposed as compost. However, once dried, shredded, demetallized (removing metal wires which were used to hang the hop vines) and sieved, hop vine fibres show good characteristics for use in hempcrete-like and light-earth-like applications.
BC materials and the Bree-Eik Eco Farm have prototyped the production processes for these hop vines into bulk fibres ready to be used in building materials. Subsequently lime, earth and/or alginate was added as a binder. Similar to hempcrete or light earth, these mixes could be shaped on site, or prefabricated into blocks or panels. The resulting lab samples were tested on thermal conductivity by Buildwise. This research showed that, as a general rule, the results were close to the thermal insulation performance of a hempcrete material : 0.0773 W/(m.K) for the earth-alginate and hop fiber panel, and 0.0751 W/(m.k) for the lime and hop fiber panel. 
In conclusion, hop fibers represent a local agrowaste stream with potential for insulation. This case study and application broadens the perspective of circular bio-sourced materials in the construction sector.

Project by BC architects : GOOIK