Cladding design in high rise buildings: rethinking the approach

The catastrophic consequences of the Grenfell Tower fire in London and the Lacrosse fire in Melbourne have shown how poor approaches to design and investment analysis of property development can lead to unsafe materials being used in high rise buildings.

With growing technological advancements in materials used in cladding design, there needs to be an informed understanding of the use of the various types of composite panel claddings and the risk that each material type pose. This is particularly the case when the core material (such as polyethylene) is flammable. The overall integration of the building design (including the cladding) with the fire safety systems (such as the fire sprinklers and fire escapes) are critical in ensuring safer use of high rise buildings.