Cladding & external finishes
• Exemptions from a possible ban • Te treatment of existing buildings • Te impact on energy efficiency and the innovative development of building materials.
With the current concerns surrounding BS 8414 and whether it is sufficiently
robust, an outright ban on combustible materials in cladding systems would undoubtedly lower the risk, but is an outright ban the answer that addresses the issue at hand? Te FPA doesn’t think so.
NEW INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE Currently, the only UK-based facility capable of testing facades for fire resistance is fully booked, which, given the volume of manufacturers seeking to confirm that their current products are safe and to ultimately bring safer alternatives into the market, is concerning. With this unprecedented demand for fire-testing for building facades, building
professionals are leſt with little option other than to join a long waiting list or accept the additional time and expense of product testing abroad. However even overseas the choices are limited; there is currently just one other test facility in the world that offers building façade testing to BS 8414. Tese limited options are especially concerning for an industry under pressure
to confirm the safety of existing buildings and to meet the demanding targets for new homes. To help address this problem and relieve an over-burdened system, the FPA
has signed a cooperation agreement with UL, a global safety science company. Te new alliance will see UL investing in the FPA’s existing fire test and research facilities, enhancing the capability, and broadening the scope of testing available to social and private landlords. It should also help to rebuild public confidence in a robust, reliable, and
real-life testing regime, an outcome much preferable to the consequences of an outright ban.
THE FUTURE Significant changes are expected to the current British Standard BS 8414, following the outcome of the FPA’s research this year, and UL has committed to test and certify to an updated standard, once published. It is hoped the new alliance can bring greater capacity and rigorous
standards to the fire-testing market, which in turn will bring greater confidence to social and private landlords in their choice of materials for high-rise residential buildings.
Chris Miles is business development manager of UL 36 | HMM September 2018 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
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