Reader Response (Draft 2)

Use of Cladding in Buildings Here Have Grown in Recent Times: Reader Response

In the article “Use of Cladding in Buildings Here Have Grown in Recent Times”, Mokhtar (2017) reports the increasing use of cladding in Singapore and its benefits and risks. Cladding, a layer of panels added to the exterior facade of buildings, is gaining popularity as it can cut energy use, improve building appearance or provide shade. The use of cladding, however, has come under the limelight after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. The ventilation gaps between the cladding and the building’s wall cause fire to spread upwards rapidly, drawing fresh oxygenated air from the bottom of the facade and fueling the fire. In Singapore, the use of cladding is regulated. For example, cladding material must not allow fire to spread along its surface when ignited, known as the Class '0' standard. Besides meeting statutory regulations, a building owner was cited to have included fire stops to prevent fire from spreading between levels and regular certification of fire protection systems. Cladding is useful, but its associated risks need to be mitigated – cladding materials must meet safety standards to minimize fire risk.

The importance of using materials that comply with fire safety requirements was demonstrated by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), United Kingdom (UK). BRE, on behalf of the British government, conducted a fire safety test using a replica of the Grenfell Tower cladding system. Despite the inclusion of vertical and horizontal fire stops, the cladding system comprising "aluminium panels with a combustible polyethylene plastic core and combustible PIR plastic foam insulation" still burnt (Mairs, 2017). The test proved that the composite material does not meet regulatory guidelines. It also triggered the remark that the material would not have been used if it was tested before installation.

In Singapore on 4 May 2017, a fire confined mainly to the facade of an industrial building has claimed a life. Subsequently, Minister for Home Affairs, Mr K. Shanmugam, revealed in Parliament that, as of 8 September 2017, 15 buildings have cladding that does not meet the Class '0' standard (Ministry of Home Affairs, 2017). Preliminary investigations pointed to the sole supplier of the composite panels used. Two models of panels were mixed together at the warehouse; one model meets the Class '0' standard while the other does not. Mr K. Shanmugam said that the model that does not meet standard "may have, at times, been supplied for use on external walls". He added that, panels that supposedly met the standard were found to be "not of uniform quality; some met the standard, but others did not". He explained that sampling method is used as it is not possible to subject all panels to the destructive test. Ong (2017), citing Singapore Civil Defence Force, reports that cladding materials are required to be tested annually.

The dire consequences of using sub-standard materials are evident from the two tragedies. The UK fire showed that it is inadequate to just rely on the stipulation of stringent fire safety standards to mitigate fire risk. Locally, our current fire safety practices need to and can be improved. Firstly, besides ensuring products meet standards, the accreditation process needs to ensure different product models can be identified easily with proper handling procedures implemented to prevent mix up. Secondly, sampling tests need to be stricter with tests carried out by production batch instead of annually to better ensure the quality of cladding material. Lastly, on-site inspections can be more thorough to lower the chance of incorrect materials being installed. With all these changes, the quality of cladding materials used is better ensured which contribute to reduced fire risk.

References

Mairs, J. (2017, July 28). Fire safety test shows Grenfell Tower's cladding system was "an absolute failure". Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2017/07/28/grenfell-tower-aluminium-cosposite-cladding-amc-passes-bre-fire-safety-test-news/

Ong, J. (2017, June 28). Guarding against a Grenfell-like disaster in Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/guarding-against-a-grenfell-like-disaster-in-singapore-8985482

Oral Reply to Parliamentary Questions on Cladding by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law. (2017, September 24). Retrieved from https://www.mha.gov.sg/Newsroom/in-parliament/oral-replies-to-pqs/Pages/Oral-Reply-to-Parliamentary-Questions-on-Cladding.aspx

Mokhtar, F. (2017, June 17). Use of Cladding in Buildings Here Have Grown in Recent Times. Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts