RIBA hits back at government expert’s suggestion of limits on combustible material ban

News16.07.187.00 AM by Peter Apps

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has hit back at Sir Ken Knight’s suggestion of limits on the forthcoming ban on combustible materials on high-rise buildings.

Sir Ken Knight has called for limits on the planned ban on combustible materials on high rises

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RIBA hits back at comments from key government expert calling for limits on government’s combustibles ban #ukhousing

The government is consulting on legislating to introduce a total ban on combustible materials on tall residential buildings, in response to the devastating Grenfell Tower fire last year.

Last week, Inside Housing revealed that Sir Ken, a key government advisor who chairs the independent expert advisory panel on building safety, wrote to a committee of MPs suggesting this ban should be limited to the specific cladding material used on Grenfell – and other materials with a polyethylene core.

In the letter to the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee, he wrote: “This approach would still enable combustible insulation to be used, but only if it is proved to be safe in the circumstances of the particular building by completion of the cladding test of BS 8414 [the official fire safety test for combustibles].”

Responding, Adrian Dobson, executive director of professional services at the RIBA, said: “RIBA does not support Sir Ken Knight’s recent recommendation to continue to allow the use of combustible insulation on high rises.

“As chair of the government’s independent review group, Sir Ken has suggested that it might be worth considering focusing the ban just on ACM PE [aluminium composite material and polyethylene] cladding.

“But, ACM PE is not the sole villain of the piece and this would leave open the opportunity for other combustible cladding and insulation materials to be used. Furthermore, relying on BS 8414 tests is not a robust way to replicate real-world conditions.

“Until major reform of the building regulations and construction industry culture takes place, the RIBA sees banning combustible materials in their entirety as the only viable option for cladding and insulation on high-rise buildings.”

These views were echoed by Rockwool, a manufacturer of non-combustible insulation. Mirella Vitale, senior vice president at the group, said: “The content of Sir Ken Knight’s letter to the HCLG Committee is deeply concerning, as banning only ACM PE combustible cladding on high-rise buildings will not protect public safety. Adopting this approach would allow all other types of combustible cladding as well as combustible insulation to continue being used on these buildings.

“This position is at odds with a wide range of expert guidance as well as the government’s expressed intentions to ban all combustible cladding and insulation from the exterior of buildings 18 metres and taller.”

Inside Housing has seen a further letter to the committee from the Construction Products Association (CPA), rowing back on the association’s support for the combustibles ban.

Peter Caplehorn, deputy chief executive of the CPA, had expressed support for the ban in a HCLG Committe evidence session.

He wrote: “My colleagues listening to the evidence session reminded me that I gave the impression our policy was to simply ban combustible materials. In fact, we welcome the government’s consultation on banning the use of combustible materials in the external walls of high-rise residential buildings in order to first identify the issues around this topic from a practical position. “The detailed application of such a ban is in need of a review.
“We also wish to point out that, at this time, the CPA has been unable to agree a position across our membership on a complete ban (whatever that is defined as), although all members are agreed that the use of materials such as ACM should not continue on high-rise facades.”

The CPA chaired the working group on building regulations for Dame Judith Hackitt’s recent review of the system of building regulation. The review did not recommend a ban on combustibles.

More on the Hackitt Review

The Hackitt Review: key recommendations at-a-glance Inside Housing breaks down the key areas of the final report from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations

Brokenshire: government will consult on banning combustible cladding The housing secretary announces a consultation despite the Hackitt Report findings

Dame Judith Hackitt: the interview Dame Judith Hackitt spoke to Inside Housing shortly after releasing her much-anticipated review of building regulations

Final Hackitt report calls for new regulatory body but does not ban combustibles Dame Judith Hackitt has called for a regulatory body to be set up to oversee the safety of buildings, but has stopped short of a prescriptive approach or the banning of dangerous cladding.

Grenfell survivors ‘saddened and disappointed’ by Hackitt report Reaction to Hackitt’s findings decision to ignore calls for a ban on combustible cladding

Never Again campaign

In the days following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, Inside Housing launched the Never Again campaign to call for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.

One year on, we have extended the campaign asks in the light of information that has emerged since.

Here are our updated asks:

GOVERNMENT

Act on the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations to tower blocks of 18m and higher. Commit to producing a timetable for implementation by autumn 2018, setting out how recommendations that don’t require legislative change can be taken forward without delay
Follow through on commitments to fully ban combustible materials on high-rise buildings
Unequivocally ban desktop studies
Review recommendations and advice given to ministers after the Lakanal House fire and implement necessary changes
Publish details of all tower blocks with dangerous cladding, insulation and/or external panels and commit to a timeline for remedial works. Provide necessary guidance to landlords to ensure that removal work can begin on all affected private and social residential blocks by the end of 2018. Complete quarterly follow-up checks to ensure that remedial work is completed to the required standard. Checks should not cease until all work is completed.
Stand by the prime minister’s commitment to fully fund the removal of dangerous cladding
Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
Explore options for requiring remedial works on affected private sector residential tower blocks

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Take immediate action to identify privately owned residential tower blocks so that cladding and external panels can be checked

LANDLORDS

Publish details of the combinations of insulations and cladding materials for all high rise blocks
Commit to ensuring that removal work begins on all blocks with dangerous materials by the end of 2018 upon receipt of guidance from government
Publish current fire risk assessments for all high rise blocks (the Information Commissioner has required councils to publish and recommended that housing associations should do the same). Work with peers to share learning from assessments and improve and clarify the risk assessment model.
Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out. Ensure assessments consider the external features of blocks. Always use an appropriate, qualified expert to conduct assessments.
Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in the light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
Adopt Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommended approach for listening to and addressing tenants’ concerns, with immediate effect