Reader Response on Cladding Draft 2
Readers Response
In the article, “Use of
Cladding in Buildings Here Have Grown in Recent Times” (Mokhtar, 2017),
reported the increasing use of cladding in Singapore and its benefits and
risks. Cladding is a layer of panels added to the exterior facade of buildings
to cut energy use, improve building appearance or provide shade. The use of
cladding, however, came under the limelight after the Grenfell Tower fire
tragedy. The fire had spread upwards rapidly due to the ventilation gaps
between the cladding and the building’s wall, drawing 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. Besides meeting statutory regulations, a building
owner was cited to have included measures to prevent fire from spreading
between levels and regular certification of fire protection systems. While it
is undeniable that the use of cladding has many advantages, it is extremely
crucial to review the materials used in its design, which is critical in
improving fire safety of buildings.
Firstly, combustibility
of the material must be the primary consideration when selecting materials for
use in claddings. The Singapore Civil Defence Force has specified in the
Singapore Fire Code that “if such cladding is situated less than 1 m from any
point on the relevant boundary, it shall have surface complying with the
requirements for Class '0'”. Class ‘0’ is a requirement where “the material of
which the wall or ceiling is constructed shall be non-combustible throughout”.
In contrast, the UK authorities left the responsibility of fire safety in
buildings to their respective owners. As a result, some companies chose to use
cheaper but more combustible materials as cladding. This is unacceptable as
little consideration is given to fire safety.
Secondly,
to expound further on the material property, attention is given to combustible
materials. In the case of the Grenfell Tower incident, the cladding material
used was mostly polyethylene (PE), a plastic material that has low melting
point that is between 120°C and 180°C. It would easily fail when a blaze
occurs. This is certainly not the best materials to use, considering the combustibility
of PE. In another incident as reported by Channel NewsAsia on 4th
May 2017, the building at 30 Toh Guan Road had used the same PE material in its
cladding, which caught fire and propagated fire spread upwards along the
cladding (Channel NewsAsia, 2017). Although PE is cost-efficient and lightweight,
it counteracts fire control measures, thus making it an unsuitable material to
increase fire safety.
On the
other hand, there is the existence of fire-retardant (FR) materials, which are
widely available. One example is the fire-retardant aluminium composite
material, or FR-ACM. It consists of aluminium, PE and aluminium tri-hydroxide,
a mineral filler that is incombustible. This incombustible mineral filler
changes the properties of the cladding material entirely, giving the cladding
FR properties. Only this type of aluminium-PE cladding with incombustible
mineral filler has passed the Building Regulations tests in the UK (Morby,
2017). According to the video “Comparing the Flammability of Different
Cladding” (Sturmer, 2017), the PE cladding within aluminium plates caught fire
within 5 seconds of exposure to a blow torch flame. However, the FR cladding,
made of ACM and FR material, did not sustain a fire even at 20 seconds, thus
emphasizing the need for cladding materials to have FR materials incorporated in
them.
Since the
Singapore Fire Code has specified that cladding materials are required to have
class ‘0’ standard, this ought to be emphasized globally that the materials
used in cladding need to be incombustible. Cost-efficiency is important.
However, fire safety must not be compromised. The material used must contain FR
materials that would increase the fire safety of buildings, be it in Singapore
or other countries. Therefore, strong emphasis on material property, specifically
in relation to fire safety, is needed when choosing the type of material to be
used in claddings.
References
36 buildings may have combustible cladding
that doesn't meet safety standards; police investigating. (2017). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved, September
25, 2017, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/36-buildings-may-have-combustible-cladding-that-doesn-t-meet-9153588
Arconic knowingly supplied flammable
panels for use in tower – emails. (2017). Reuters.
Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-fire-arconic/arconic-knowingly-supplied-flammable-panels-for-use-in-tower-emails-idUKKBN19F05C
Building regulations to be reviewed after
safety tests following Grenfell. (2017). The
Guardian. Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/28/government-announces-independent-review-building-regulations-grenfell-tower-fire
Cladding for Grenfell Tower was cheaper,
more flammable option. (2017). The
Guardian. Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/16/manufacturer-of-cladding-on-grenfell-tower-identified-as-omnis-exteriors
Comparing the flammability of different
cladding. (2017). Jake Sturmer. Retrieved,
September 25, 2017, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-28/comparing-the-flammability-of-cladding/8752786
First ACM cladding passes fire tests.
(2017). Construction Enquirer.
Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/08/13/first-acm-cladding-passes-fire-tests/
Grenfell Tower: fire-proof cladding
specified by architects used only on ground floor. (2017). The Guardian. Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/06/grenfell-fire-proof-cladding-specified-by-architects-only-used-on-ground-floor
How a common building material turned a
Dubai hotel fire into an inferno. (2017). The
Star. Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/01/19/how-a-common-building-material-turned-a-dubai-hotel-fire-into-an-inferno.html
Mitsubishi
Plastics. (2008). Material safety data
sheet - ALPOLIC®/fr, Aluminum Composite Material with fire-retardant core
filled with non-combustible mineral. Retrieved, September 25, 2017, from http://www.alpolic.com/alpolic-intl/downloads/msds_alpolicfr.pdf
Singapore
Civil Defence Force. (2015). Singapore
Fire Safety Engineering Guidelines 2015. Retrieved, September 25, 2017,
from https://www.scdf.gov.sg/sites/www.scdf.gov.sg/files/Singapore%20Fire%20Safety%20Engineering%20Guidelines%202015_1.pdf
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