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Grenfell Tower: cladding linked to fire pulled from sale worldwide Grenfell Tower: cladding material linked to fire pulled from sale worldwide
(35 minutes later)
The company that manufactures the cladding believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of fire through Grenfell Tower has pulled the material from sale around the world. The company that manufactures an element of the cladding believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of fire through Grenfell Tower has pulled the material from sale around the world.
Arconic said on Monday that is was discontinuing Reynobond PE, the aluminium cladding with a plastic core that was revealed as flammable in the wake of the blaze that killed at least 79 people in west London. Arconic said on Monday that is was discontinuing Reynobond PE, panels that are combined with insulation to form cladding that was revealed as flammable in the wake of the blaze that killed at least 79 people in west London.
The firm said it had stopped global sales of the cladding for tall buildings over concerns about the “inconsistency of building codes across the world”. The firm said it had stopped global sales of the material for tall buildings over concerns about the “inconsistency of building codes across 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.
Reynobond PE, one 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. The manufacturer said in a statement: “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. We will continue to fully support the authorities as they investigate this tragedy.”
The manufacturer said in a statement: “Arconic is discontinuing global sales of Reynobond PE for use in high-rise applications. The company emailed clients on Monday to tell them it would no longer sell Reynobond PE to buyers planning to use it on tower blocks. It said this would apply globally due to the difficulty of being sure that its cladding would be used in a way that complies with building regulations in multiple countries. Arconic’s factory in Merxheim, France, manufactures several types of Reynobond for the European market.
“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 decision to stop selling it for use in skyscraper cladding comes after it emerged that the company knew that the less fire-resistant version, Reynobond PE, would be used on Grenfell Tower despite its own guidelines warning that it was unsuitable for buildings above 10m tall. Emails obtained by Reuters showed Arconic was involved in discussions about the use of cladding on the building during 2014.
“We will continue to fully support the authorities as they investigate this tragedy.”
The company emailed clients on Monday to tell them it would no longer sell Reynobond PE to buyers planning to use it on tower blocks. It said this would apply globally due to the difficulty of being sure that its cladding would be used in a way that complies with building regulations in multiple countries.
Arconic’s factory in Merxheim, France, manufactures several types of Reynobond for the European market.
The decision to stop selling it for use in skyscraper cladding comes after it emerged that the company knew the less fire-resistant version, Reynobond PE, would be used on Grenfell Tower despite its own guidelines warning it was unsuitable for buildings above 10m.
Emails obtained by Reuters showed Arconic was involved in discussions about the use of cladding on the building during 2014.
One of its own brochures states that Reynobond PE should only be used in buildings up to 10m, with more fire-resistant products recommended above that height. Grenfell Tower is more than 60m tall.One of its own brochures states that Reynobond PE should only be used in buildings up to 10m, with more fire-resistant products recommended above that height. Grenfell Tower is more than 60m tall.
In a separate statement about the leaked emails, Arconic said: “We sold Reynobond PE to our customer, the fabricator, in 2015 for use as one component of the overall cladding system. We did not supply other parts of this cladding system, including the insulation.In a separate statement about the leaked emails, Arconic said: “We sold Reynobond PE to our customer, the fabricator, in 2015 for use as one component of the overall cladding system. We did not supply other parts of this cladding system, including the insulation.
“While we publish general usage guidelines, regulations and codes vary by country and need to be determined by the local building code experts.”“While we publish general usage guidelines, regulations and codes vary by country and need to be determined by the local building code experts.”