Serious concerns about Grenfell cladding
DURING my career as an architect I have responded to a number of government consultations on building standards and made observations on the fire risks of external cladding.
Under the Construction Products Regulations a panel such as the one under scrutiny would require to be CE (European Conformity) certified to meet the requirements relating to “Safety in Case of Fire” in the Building Regulations.
Technical approval is divided into two categories. The first involves the works as a whole and covers the design and execution of buildings. As an architect I am assembling components into a building which is then checked for compliance by a nominated verifier, generally building control.
The second category covers the components used to form that building. These are tested by approved testing stations using agreed EU performance standards to verify that the product meets the CE requirement and can therefore be incorporated into the works.
The Reynobond PE panel used on Grenfell Tower is manufactured in France by Arconics and its fire certification has the CE mark indicated. But on closer inspection it is only Reynolux, the aluminium skin, that is CE approved. The panel as a complete product isn’t certified as far as I can see. That would seriously concern me.
Technical approval is divided into two categories. The first involves the works as a whole and covers the design and execution of buildings. As an architect I am assembling components into a building which is then checked for compliance by a nominated verifier. This is generally building control.
The second category covers the components used to form that building. These are tested by approved testing stations using agreed EU performance standards to verify that the product meets the CE requirement and can therefore be incorporated into the works.
The Reynobond PE panel on Grenfell Tower is made in France by Arconics and its fire certification has the CE mark indicated. But on closer inspection it transpires that it is only Reynolux - the aluminium skin - which is CE approved. The panel as a complete product isn’t certified as far as I can see. That would seriously concern me.
As an architect I need that certification to allow building control to confirm that the panel is fit for purpose.Yet the only certification Arconics offers is a British Board of Agreement (BBA) certificate, which outlines where and how the product can be used in the UK. Paragraph 6.5 states : “For resistance to fire, the performance of a wall incorporating this product, can only be determined by tests from a suitably accredited laboratory, and is not covered by this certificate”. In other words
BBA refuses to approve the Reynobond PE panel for use in external walls as no tests were submitted. Any professional reading that should have an alarm bell going off in their head.
Arconics fire certification also states that Reynobond PE should not be used higher than 10m from ground level. Both the main contractor and the sub-contractor must have known this as it forms part of the installation guidance. How did they miss it ? If the architect also missed this building control should have picked it up as verifier. That didn’t happen. So there were four levels of failure.
Having worked in London with “approved inspectors” such a lack of competence does not really surprise me. It illustrates is the level of failure within the construction industry. Deaths were inevitable.
Robert Menzies,
2 Burnbrae Gardens, Falkirk.