Jura Distillery partners with University of Hertfordshire and industry partners to test self-repairing building surface

Jura Distillery, home to the UK’s number one single malt whisky brand, will become the first building in the country to trial an innovative self-repairing limewash as part of the whisky maker’s commitment to sustainability within the industry. 

The new coating, developed by the University of Hertfordshire and leaders in bio-based construction, UK Hempcrete, aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the island whisky makers, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in April. 

The ground-breaking solution increases a building surface’s absorption of CO2 and this project will be the prototype for a potential solution in building conservation, which could help many businesses in their commitment to a zero-carbon approach.

The beachside distillery is located on the Hebridean Isle of Jura, home to a tiny island community of just 212. Currently, wind-driven rain on the island weathers the distillery, which prompts annual repainting to protect the building. As well as disrupting production and tourism, which is a core part of the island economy, it also increases carbon emissions through the transportation of materials to the island and the fulfilment of the maintenance works.

This new, more-robust surfacing is self-repairing, which is expected to reduce how often the repairs are needed, therefore reducing the annual carbon emissions from the distillery.

The initiative forms part of ‘The Green Print’, the roadmap to net zero created by the wider Whyte and Mackay whisky house, which lays out the Scottish whisky maker’s vision for a sustainable future.

Jura’s Distiller Manager Jamie Muir comments: “The Isle of Jura is beautiful place to make Scotch Whisky, but it is not necessarily the easiest place be a whisky maker. 

“When we created The Green Print, we laid out our commitment to make a positive impact on the local community where we make our whisky. This partnership with our friends at UK Hempcrete and the University of Hertfordshire will deliver a pilot which we believe could make a positive impact across the Scotch Whisky industry and beyond.” 

The project has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, as part of the Design Exchange Partnership Programme. The trial will aim to establish whether this is a sustainable solution for the building industry long term.

Alex Sparrow, UK Hempcrete’s Managing Director, adds: “This collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire and Whyte and Mackay is a perfect fit for UK Hempcrete. 

“This is an opportunity to develop an innovative new low-carbon product alongside the development of primary research at the university, and simultaneously see its application in a real world context. This fits exactly with our ethos of improving the technical performance of buildings in the real world, whilst lowering their carbon footprint.”