NEWS Story continues from page six
needed’ for building control approval. With the accreditation received, the FPA’s ‘easily accessible’ sites at Moreton in Marsh and Blockley in Gloucestershire offer a ‘comprehensive range’ of testing facilities, providing results that ‘often exceed’ legislative guidelines. Two test rigs for commercial
BS 8414 testing were constructed by the FPA, with that test evaluating the ‘effectiveness against fire’ of external cladding on buildings. The rigs can test systems to part one (cladding attached to a concrete wall) and part 2 (cladding attached directly to a steel structure), while a half sized rig can test ‘bespoke’ elements surrounding a cladding test, such as the addition of a window or another type of opening to ‘more closely replicate’ a real life situation. Mr O’Neill added: ‘The Fire
Protection Association is proud to have been chosen to conduct the next round of indicative façade testing by the government – as we are accredited by UKAS to carry out the 8414 test. Our concerns regarding 8414 are well documented and are currently being considered by the BSI committee, which is reviewing and updating the test. ‘The work we have been commissioned to undertake on behalf of MHCLG is looking to assess the performance of systems currently installed (the tender was to carry out an existing 8414 test of a system representative of those in England). The design of the system and the materials used will be typical of an as installed system, ensuring that it’s as realistic a test as possible.’
Other tests delayed
It was revealed recently that the government’s newly planned tests of other cladding systems had been delayed, due to a rig being damaged. In February, the government announced it had widened its fire testing regime to include other materials than ACM, which could
8
mean ‘potential uncertainty for thousands more residents’. Housing Minister Kit Malthouse ordered combustibility tests on cladding panels used on high rise residential blocks, hotels and student accommodation ‘that differ’ from ACM panels used on 437 buildings ‘identified so far’. Research suggested that ‘at
least’ 160 high rises have been built with materials used in rainscreen cladding systems ‘that have not been accounted for’ in prior government testing. These include high pressure laminate (HPL) panels made from compressed wood or paper fibre, used to produce ‘colourful skins for new buildings’, and some of which are classed as combustible. Mr Malthouse stated that fire
safety experts had updated guidance for the government, adding that ‘we have commissioned the Building Research Establishment to conduct a programme of testing on non-ACM materials and we expect that testing to start shortly’. He added that MHCLG had been ‘cajoling’ private building owners to remove ACM panels, and was considering ‘more assertive’ measures. Later that month, it was reported
that the tests would begin in March and results would be published in the summer, but in March, industry experts expressed ‘grave concerns’ over the ‘bespoke safety testing
JUNE 2019
www.frmjournal.com
methodology’, which means that the tests have ‘no success or failure criteria’, and are ‘less comprehensive’ than those on ACM cladding conducted since Grenfell. They will also not include insulation, will not test cavity barriers and ‘will have no legal standing’. In April however, Inside Housing
reported that the tests had been delayed after the BRE rig was ‘damaged’, Mr Malthouse revealed, after responding to a written question from Labour MP Steve Reed. He stated that ‘the test programme has not yet commenced because the test rig was damaged during a calibration test and has needed to be repaired. The schedule for the tests is being reappraised in the light of the delay to the start of the programme’. The news outlet noted that the
materials to be tested will include zinc composite material, copper composite material, aluminium honeycomb, HPL, brick slip systems and reconstituted stone, with MHCLG commenting that the tests will now begin ‘over the coming weeks’, and are expected to finish in June. More detail in Mr Malthouse’s
reply included the fact that the findings of the tests are ‘supposed to show’ the government what further action it should take, including ‘further testing at large scale and/or advice to building owners’
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
