Grenfell
Grenfell: All 75 high-rises tested fail fire safety standards
The government has said cladding on 75 buildings in 26 council areas had now failed fire safety tests – every single panel tested so far.
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And the US firm that supplied cladding used on London’s Grenfell Tower says it has ended global sales of the product for use in high-rise blocks.
Arconic said it was discontinuing sales of Reynobond PE for tower blocks due to “issues” identified by the fire, which is feared to have killed at least 79.
Safety tests
Fire safety tests are taking place on the fire resistance of cladding on up to 600 buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire in north Kensington on 14 June.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said all buildings examined so far had failed the test. Councils were told to prioritise buildings they had most concern over.
Communities secretary, Sajid Javid, has said all hospitals and schools had also been asked to carry out “immediate checks”.
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Grenfell: All 75 high-rises tested fail fire safety standards
The government has said cladding on 75 buildings in 26 council areas had now failed.
Alison Fava
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12 years ago, the cladding of a twin towers, under construction in Doha Qatar, caught fire. At that time the decision was to substitute with a mineral based cladding and urged the local authority to change the specs. However, there were an option by insulating (compartmentalise) the openings to prevent fire spread to/from the outside, fill the gap between the cladding and structure with light and non-combustible material, and install fire suppression on the outside perimeter as needed to cover the facades.