Inquiry should ‘consider the entire exterior’

Authorities investigating the Grenfell Tower inferno should consider the design of the building’s entire exterior refurbishment rather than individual components, a company said.

CEP Architectural Facades, which fabricated the rainscreen panels and windows for Grenfell’s cladding subcontractor Harley Facades Ltd, said it was critical to consider the whole system.

It was reported yesterday that the material used in the cladding that covered Grenfell was Reynobond PE cladding - the cheaper, more flammable version of two available options.

The more expensive Reynobond FR contains a fireretardant mineral core and is said to guarantee higher resistance to fire compared with the Reynobond PE, which has a polyethylene, or plastic, core.

In a statement, CEP Architectural Facades, which does not manufacture Reynobond, said it believed it would be wrong to point to individual materials or components.

The firm’s managing director, John Cowley, said: “It is critical to consider the whole system, including insulation materials, fire barriers, fixings and railings and you also need to look at the overall design and quality of installation.

“We prefer systems which have been designed and tested in controlled conditions so that we know they are robust and fit for purpose. In the US, you can’t build a structure taller than 40 feet without testing the whole system in a fullyrigged environment.”