4 INDUSTRY NEWS


FROM THE EDITOR


For anyone in this industry, reading Peter Apps’ outstanding but harrowing account of the context and results of the renfell ower fi re is another cause for some stark self-analysis.


James Parker


Everyone is now familiar with the litany of testing and regulations loopholes which enabled uestionable specifi cation to occur, not only on Grenfell but a host of other projects. However, the inquiry which is attempting to tie blame to at least some parties (while its prosecution barrister described the entire process as a “merry go round of buck- passing”) is apparently still unable to reach a conclusion.


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HOUSEBUILDER & DEVELOPER


APRIL/MAY 2024


Due to the amount of responses received by stakeholders, inquiry chair Martin Moore-ick recently announced that its fi nal report would now not be published before the seventh anniversary of the tragedy, as had been hoped. This is another bitter pill for the victims’ families to swallow, and frustrating for everyone looking to see lessons shared to help prevent another tragedy.


The event fundamentally damaged the credibility of the construction industry, which in many areas it had worked hard to demonstrate. This extends to the construction media such as ourselves – who in good faith present the information which manufacturers give us – to the wider specifi er market. his is largely based on trust that it is verifi able. We cannot investigate every building physics assertion, but if we think we cant stand behind unualifi ed product claims, we remove them.


Apps’ account of the background to the tragedy, ‘Show Me the Bodies’ includes a good deal about manufacturers’ product claims, and the confusing rules they work to – it is a key reference point as the sector looks to restore credibility. We trust in buildings to be safely procured, and to adhere to regulations which have been considered objectively, and not to benefi t profi t. renfell put all of this into uestion, and restoring that trust is an ongoing task, including within the industry.


Update your MMC BY THE SEA


A complex project on a historic naval site in Gosport by VerdeGO Living shows how versatile modern methods of construction can be – from new contemporary homes to conversions


HBD_0405_2024 Covers.indd 1 go to page 24 19/04/2024 09:11 registration here:


ll parties in the specifi cation and cladding industry have some part to play in accounting for what happened, but so do successive Governments, including Cameron’s administration ‘waging war on the Health & Safety culture’ in 2012.


Full disclosure and openness is now the name of the game, and this was behind the recent round table that we staged at the Building Centre, in partnership with sponsors -W, aint obain nterior olutions, and iderise. he in-depth discussion saw architects,  experts, developers and project manufacturers looking at how the Golden Thread of design information in future high rise projects works in practice.


As well as the new project roles within the Building Safety Act, the other main outcome of the Hackitt Report is the Golden Thread concept of open data sharing throughout a project, including on the changes which may occur in specifi cation. ts about taking responsibility, and its fundamentally different from past practice. ou can fi nd a report on this discussion at https://insights.netmagmedia.co.uk


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Editors of ‘generalist business-to-business’ titles such as ours tend to necessarily not be experts in all of the product areas they cover. We aim to achieve balance while supporting the industry as a marketing conduit, and protecting competitors (and brands’ credibility). As organisations working with external marketing teams presenting information to customers, we are a fundamental part of the system that needs to protect specifi ers from misinformation or even ambiguity. We rely on contributors providing us with the correct, verifi ed information  in short, we’re all in this together.


James Parker


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