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Information about the proposed refurbishment of Grenfell Tower provided to Kensington and Chelsea Council’s building control department showed the wrong type of cladding, the public inquiry heard yesterday.
To supplement its application for sign off, Studio E Architects sent drawings to the building control department indicating that zinc cladding would be used on the tower in September 2014.
But by this time, aluminium composite material (ACM) panels – which the inquiry has identified as the primary reason why fire was able to spread so rapidly across the tower – had already been chosen instead.
Bruce Sounes, who led on the Grenfell project for Studio E, argued before the inquiry yesterday that the first drawings sent to building control are to provide “an overview” and that “even if not entirely accurate would still be valid to show the scope”, with specific matters sorted out later.
The drawings, produced by Mr Sounes’ colleague Neil Crawford, who had by now taken over the day-to-day running of the project, also failed to include details on the combustible insulation that would be used on the tower’s columns and behind the spandrel panels.
Mr Sounes said he was not aware of this omission at the time but added: “I don’t think we were at the point of detailed design of the materials at this point.”
Only the day after the drawings were sent, planners at Kensington and Chelsea Council approved the switch to the “smoke silver” ACM cladding that was eventually installed.
However, asked if he ever told building control – a separate department to planning which considers compliance with the regulations – about the switch from zinc to ACM, Mr Sounes said: “I can’t recall having conversations, no.”
That appears to contradict inquiry evidence from Mr Crawford, who previously claimed that Mr Sounes told him that building control were aware of the full cladding design before the building control application was submitted.
The inquiry heard yesterday that Mr Sounes had not discussed the details of the cladding during meetings with building control officers before this time.
Mr Sounes also said he was “not aware” of any record that a British Board of Agrément (BBA) certificate for the Reynobond PE cladding product used on Grenfell Tower was provided to building control.
Kate Grange QC, who is leading the examination, said the inquiry has not found any evidence that building control was ever sent the BBA certificate.
Asked near the end of the hearing if he would have done anything differently during the project, Mr Sounes was clearly choking back tears as he replied: “I’ve obviously had a long time to think about this. I think it’s a very cruel question.
“I sat through and I watched all of the fire experts’ evidence and then quite a bit later I studied the DCLG [ACM cladding] tests, and in a sense that was more revealing.
“But I had no idea. And I don’t believe anyone involved in the project would have not acted had they known.”
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry continues.
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