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Grenfell: composite aluminium and polyester-coated panels used
Composite aluminum and polyester-coated panels were used to clad the outside of Grenfell Tower in a renovation a year before Wednesday’s devastating blaze.
The panels, which were added in a £10m renovation which completed in 2016, have come under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of Wednesday’s devastating blaze at the west London tower block.
Residents described seeing the external cladding burning during the blaze which tore through the 24-storey building in minutes, leaving it virtually destroyed.
Social landlords are currently urgently checking tower blocks, with communities secretary Sajid Javid saying emergency inspections of 4,000 tower blocks should take place over the weekend.
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According to the planning documents on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s website, the panels used were Reynobond rainscreen cassette aluminium composite panels.
Reynobond’s website says its composite panels have a polyethylene core, with a coil-coated upper and lower sheet.
The building also had polyester powder coated aluminium across much of the block.
Experts have raised concerns that gaps between the cladding and the side of the building may have created a chimney affect, allowing flames to tear up the building.
Rydon Maintenance, which completed the partial refurbishment of the building last summer, said it met all required building regulations – as well as fire regulation and health and safety standards.
Robert Bond, chief executive of Rydon Group, said: “We have been working with local authorities for nearly 40 years and safety and quality are integral to everything we do at Rydon.
“I will do all I can to assist in this investigation in order to establish what caused this tragedy. In light of the public inquiry, we cannot make any further comment at this time.”
