Grenfell Tower: Experts urge strict cladding, skyscraper safety rules in Nigeria

The tragic death of 79 people in the Grenfell Towers fire in London has sparked calls for the Nigerian government and builders to review safety rules on cladding and fire safety in tall buildings in this country

In recent years, several skyscrapers have emerged in highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja, with many of them preferring to clad to beautify the structures. But the London fire disaster is now raising questions concerning the safety of the cladding materials used and the provisions for fire escape incorporated into the buildings.

Facts emerging from the Grenfell incident indicate that there was a lack of adequate or operating fire sprinklers, integrated fire systems and adequate means of escape, which lend credence to the allegation that the structure of the building contributed significantly to the magnitude of the destruction and casualty figure recorded.

“As an industry professional, I am even more alarmed that the building underwent an 8.7 million pound refurbishment which included upgrades to the heating system and installation of aluminium composite panels to the outer facades of the tower block”, said Femi Akintunde, CEO, AMFacilities, in an emailed reaction to the London incident.

Akintunde quoted the former chairman of Grenfell Tower property Management Company as saying that the refurbishment contract should never have been assigned to the appointed contractors because it was too big for them.

“We should take this opportunity to review our own practices and I urge all responsible property owners to ensure that the right people are engaged to manage our property; we should engage an experienced and professional facilities manager and no matter how big or small your property is, ensure that risk reviews are completed and the building is safe for the occupants”, he advised.

MKO Balogun, an engineer and CEO, Global Property and Facilities International, agrees, but reasons that there is nothing wrong with the cladding materials used in Nigeria. What is important, according to him, is that government comes up with a law that cladding materials used in any house in the country must be fire-resistant.

He affirmed that the Reynobond PE used in Grenfell Towers features a polyethylene core that is less fire-resistant than Reynobond FR, initials that stand for ‘fire resistant’, citing similar incident at The Address Tower in Dubai where non-fire resistant cladding materials were used for its exterior.

“Because of our peculiar challenges wherein we are unable to respond to emergency situations, government should make it a rule that any building above five floors should not use cladding materials; government should also do property monitoring to ensure that high-rise buildings comply with safety rules and standards”, Balogun advised.

The huge blaze at the Grenfell Tower has been linked to cladding material, Reynobond PE, used in the refurbishment of the building a couple of years ago, raising the huge question as to the level of risk reviews on the material before use.  Reynobond PE are panels that are combined with insulation to form cladding now revealed to be flammable.

Its manufacturer, Arconic, said early this week that it has pulled the material from sale around the world. Reynobond PE, one of several options offered by the company and not the most fire-retardant, has been banned for use on towers in countries including Germany and the US, but not the UK.

“Arconic is discontinuing global sales of Reynobond PE for use in high-rise applications. We believe this is the right decision because of the inconsistency of building codes across the world and issues that have arisen in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy regarding code compliance of cladding systems in the context of buildings’ overall designs”, the manufacturer said in a statement recently.

Building experts say the Grenfell tragedy provides good opportunity for thorough risk assessment of building materials, calling attention to the many variants of some cladding materials adorning many commercial buildings in Nigeria. Balogun says government agencies, especially the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has to see this as a challenge and rise to the occasion.

He is of the view that, though the Grenfell fire was a tragedy, it was not without some lessons for builders and facilities managers. One of such lessons, he said, is the need to for accountability on occupants of buildings, pointing out that there was no property record of the occupants of Grenfell Tower, which is why people are coming from all corners claiming to be survivors of the fire incident.

CHUKA UROKO