Build With Hemp Launches UK School Retrofit Initiative Using Industrial Hemp Insulation

Every child deserves to learn in a classroom that feels warm, dry and healthy.

Yet, across the UK, many school buildings struggle with cold, damp and mould in winter, overheating in warmer months and poor sound insulation year-round. These conditions affect not only energy performance; they influence concentration, comfort and wellbeing for both pupils and staff.

Build With Hemp, the UK’s leading supplier of industrial hemp construction systems, has committed to delivering a targeted insulation retrofit within a UK school using its certified industrial hemp solutions, with materials and installation provided at no cost to the school up to a project value of £25,000.

The initiative will improve building performance and classroom comfort while providing a real-world example of how natural, low-carbon retrofit solutions can enhance the quality of school buildings.

The company is inviting local authorities, architects, education estates teams and construction partners to nominate a school building where this type of intervention could make a meaningful difference.

The selected school will receive hemp insulation materials and installation, with the project documented as a live case study to share learning with the wider construction and education sectors.

For Build With Hemp, the initiative reflects a broader belief that better buildings create better outcomes for people. “We believe healthier buildings should not be a luxury,” says Michael Walker, CEO of Build With Hemp. “If a classroom is cold, damp or acoustically poor, that has a direct impact on pupils and teachers. Through this project we want to make a tangible difference, while showing what is possible with modern, certified, bio-based construction materials.”

Proven Materials, Trusted Certification

Industrial hemp construction systems have been used across Europe for decades in schools, housing and public buildings, where their breathable, moisture-regulating properties help improve the performance of both modern and historic structures.

Build With Hemp works with certified industrial hemp insulation systems, including BBA-certified hemp fibre insulation and materials independently tested through recognised verification frameworks such as BRE. Systems are manufactured within ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified production environments and align with European Technical Assessment pathways under EAD 040005-00-1201 for hemp-based construction materials.

Walker continues:

“This material is already proven in large-scale projects across Europe and is ideally suited to public buildings such as schools and community facilities, where durability, compliance and measurable performance are essential. If we want better school buildings across the UK, we need solutions that deliver performance, wellbeing and environmental responsibility together.”

Expected Performance Improvements

Industrial hemp insulation offers strong thermal performance, natural moisture regulation and acoustic benefits.

In retrofit projects, hemp-based insulation systems can improve both thermal efficiency and acoustic comfort within masonry buildings. Typical insulation build-ups can help walls achieve a baseline U-value of around 0.30 W/m²K, either through spray-applied hempcrete external wall insulation or the installation of hemp fibre batt insulation internally.

These approaches can also reduce sound transmission through the building envelope depending on wall construction and insulation thickness. For the selected school, this will translate into warmer classrooms, more stable indoor temperatures and quieter learning environments — supporting healthier and more comfortable conditions for pupils and staff.

Unlike many conventional and synthetic insulation products, hemp-based systems also support natural moisture regulation and indoor air quality, helping reduce the conditions in which damp and mould develop.

Nominations Now Open

Nominations for the project open on 11 March 2026 and close on 17 April 2026.

Submissions will be reviewed and shortlisted from the week commencing 20 April, with the selected school announced during Futurebuild 2026 at Excel London (12–14 May).

Build With Hemp will be exhibiting at the event on stands F82 and G40, where visitors will be able to see live demonstrations of the company’s bio-based materials and applications.

Professional partners can submit nominations at:
https://buildwithhemp.co.uk/school-retrofit-campaign/

ENDS

About Build With Hemp

Build With Hemp is a UK supplier of certified industrial hemp-based construction systems. Through its partnership with DunAgro Group — Europe’s most experienced industrial hemp producer — the company brings more than three decades of hemp-lime innovation to the UK built environment.

Its prefabricated hempcrete panels, natural fibre insulation, acoustic barriers and fencing systems provide durable, low-carbon alternatives to conventional materials and integrate seamlessly into modern construction, retrofit and infrastructure projects.

All systems are tested to leading UK and European standards, including BRE, BBA and EAD, and are supported by full declarations of performance and environmental product data.

Working with architects, developers, contractors and sustainability teams, Build With Hemp provides technical guidance from early-stage design through to installation. The materials deliver measurable reductions in embodied carbon, stabilise moisture and indoor health, improve acoustic comfort and support biodiversity gain.

Build With Hemp is part of Hemp Alliance Ltd and operates a dedicated showroom in Virginia Water, offering consultations, CPDs and specification support for teams pursuing scalable low-carbon construction solutions.

More information on www.buildwithhemp.co.uk

Campaign Nomination Criteria

Nominations are invited from: