LCPB:feature 2 24/08/2013 12:03 Page 180
BUILDING SERVICES: LOSS PREVENTION CERTIFICATION BOARD
HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS, CLADDING SYSTEMS AND THE DANGER OF FIRE
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n the recent fire at Al Hafeet Tower in Dubai, around 80 residents were left stranded and others lost valuable possessions as the fire completely destroyed ten floors of the 20 storey building. The fire was very similar to the one in the Tamweel Tower in Dubai last year. In both of these cases, fire quickly travelled up the building’s exterior as individual cladding panels ignited. This type of external fire is a growing global problem with many examples internationally. Civil Defence authorities in the Middle East have been working hard to develop robust fire safety codes that are specifically relevant to the region and quickly address the fire performance issues with cladding systems. Within the UK, in order to prevent such high profile fires as those at the Al Hafeet and Tamweel Towers and reduce the substantial associated losses, BRE Global has developed tests and approval schemes for systems to ensure they provide appropriate fire performance. Testing of cladding systems is carried out to BS8414 parts 1 & 2 (Fire performance of external cladding systems. Part 1 – test method for non-loadbearing external cladding systems
applied to the face of the building. Part 2 – test method for non-loadbearing external cladding systems fixed to and supported by a structural steel frame) and assesses the performance against the criteria set out in the publication BR 135 (Fire performance of external thermal insulation for walls of multi-storey buildings). The third edition of BR 135 was published recently and recognises the developments and innovations in the construction of cladding systems that have occurred in recent years. The test methods in BS 8414 were developed to demonstrate that, under a simulated fire in a compartment breaking out of an opening in the external wall, the cladding system will not permit excessive fire spread up the outside of the building. LPCB has also developed LPS 1581 (Requirements and tests for LPCB Approval of non-load bearing External Cladding Systems applied to the masonry face of a building) and LPS 1582 (Requirements and tests for LPCB Approval of non-load bearing External Cladding Systems fixed to and supported by a structural steel frame) approvalschemes to help satisfy requirements from insurers and building owners for enhanced performance specification for property protection and to enable the management of risk from cladding fires.
“THE LATEST HIGH PROFILE FIRE IN THE UAE HAS REAFFIRMED THE NEED FOR PROPERLY APPROVED, INSTALLED AND MAINTAINED CLADDING SYSTEMS IN HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS” DR DEBBIE SMITH DIRECTOR OF FIRE SCIENCES AND BUILDING PRODUCTS, BRE GLOBAL
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BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE
www.bdcmagazine.co.uk