BSI, in its role as the UK National Standards Body, has published a new code of practice for the fire-risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing multistorey and multi-occupied residential buildings. It has been developed primarily to…
A clear solution to growing waking watch costs
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) recently advised a London Assembly committee that there are now over 900 blocks – with the figure steadily rising – of flats with a waking watch in place. The cost to fund these patrols is…
2021 Fire Safety Regulations explained
Fire safety has been at the forefront of conversations around building architecture and construction since the tragedy at the Grenfell Tower in 2017. With a recent fire at a New Providence Wharf tower block, which used the same cladding as…
FM Global urges better safety test for high-rise exterior claddings that have fueled deadly building fires
Costly and sometimes fatal fires in some of the world’s newest and tallest buildings have recently been stoked by highly combustible exterior claddings chosen for aesthetics, energy efficiency, weather-proofing and cost-effectiveness—not safety. Moreover, prevailing methods for testing the combustibility of exterior claddings…