Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Innovation: The Renaissance of Sustainable Building
A recent article in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/05/architects-rammed-earth-buildings-homes-future highlighted how things are changing in the world of construction.
Some of the most promising developments in low-carbon building are drawing inspiration from techniques that have stood for millennia. From rammed earth structures dating back to the Neolithic period to the ancient cultivation of hemp, traditional building methods are experiencing a remarkable renaissance at this time, enhanced by modern engineering and precision manufacturing.
Sustainability in a sector that is responsible for more than a third of global carbon emissions is becoming increasingly relevant. Techniques such of rammed earth, sourced from, or near, the grounds of a proposed building site is attracting attention. The concept of utilising material which can be sourced locally is gaining traction and farmers are becoming more aware of the benefits of growing environmentally beneficial crops, such as hemp, for the construction sector. https://britishhempalliance.co.uk
Hemp - The Ancient Crop Reimagined
While rammed earth represents continuity with traditional building methods, hemp-based construction materials offer an equally ancient solution reimagined for contemporary needs. Hemp cultivation dates back thousands of years, but it's only recently that the construction industry has fully recognised its extraordinary potential as a building material.
One hectare of UK-grown industrial hemp can absorb between 8 and 22 tonnes of CO2 into its stem each year, with regeneratively farmed hemp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture) capable of sequestering additional carbon in the soil.
Unlike trees, which take decades to mature, hemp reaches full growth in just four months, requires minimal water, and needs no herbicides or pesticides. The entire plant can be utilised with fibres going into textiles and building materials, while seeds and leaves serve the food and beauty industries.
When incorporated into building materials, biogenic carbon captured in the hemp remains locked away for the lifetime of the structure. Hemp works well as an insulation material and also regulates moisture in the air, naturally regulating indoor relative humidity and temperature.
This is where ancient wisdom meets modern precision engineering. Natural Building Systems has developed ADEPT®, a modular building system, which harnesses hemp's remarkable properties through digital manufacturing methods to create a scalable, efficient construction solution.
HempSil®, an advanced bio-composite insulation, sits within demountable structural cassettes to form a complete building envelope that addresses multiple sustainability challenges simultaneously.
What sets ADEPT® apart is its integration of circular economy principles with bio-based materials. The panels are designed to be quickly assembled on site and easily disassembled and reused, with a patented method of securing panels together with timber. This means buildings can be adapted over time without generating waste. This is in stark contrast to conventional construction, where renovations and alterations typically mean demolition and landfill.
The ADEPT® production plant has recently re-located in its entirety to Halesworth in Suffolk, improving efficiency and reducing embodied carbon.
Natural Building Systems, in collaboration with architects and engineers, aims to make significant contributions to the provision of sustainable, resource efficient, affordable homes. Reconnecting historical links between agriculture, local geography and the built environment, and combining time-tested principles with modern engineering, digital fabrication, and systems thinking, we can create buildings that are simultaneously high-performing, healthy, beautiful, and genuinely sustainable.
Natural Building Systems carries out post occupancy testing and monitoring of delivered projects, measuring energy performance, indoor air quality and whole life carbon impacts. Results show that a significant contribution can be made to reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry whilst creating healthy, mould free, well insulated homes.