In the article “Use of cladding in buildings here have grown
in recent times: Experts” from Faris Mokhtar, Today Online (June 20, 2017)
states that although there are benefits of cladding on a building, it can be a
threat as it serves as a fire hazard. Mokhtar (2017) states that the usage of cladding has shown to
provide many benefits for the building. And according to Assistant Professor
Fadeyi (2017), cladding has shown to help in the increase of a building’s sustainability
and the reduction of energy consumption. Furthermore, Assistant
Professor Budig (2017) mentions that Singapore practices another style of
cladding which enhances the shade of the building, with the use of minimal
insulated material, that might otherwise cause a fire risk. Adding on from Mokhtar
(2017) an SCDF spokesman states that in Singapore the materials used in
cladding must adhere to the strict requirements of the class ’0’ standard and
fulfil the local product certification which involves regular testing.
However according to Mokhtar (2017), cladding may have
contributed to the fire that struck the Grenfell Tower, which led to multiple
fatalities. The use of cladding in the Grenfell tower fire incident contributes
in the rapid spreading of fire, as oxygen from the gaps of the bottom exterior
of the building gets drawn up by the flames, further escalating the fire states
Assistant Professor Budig (2017). And In Singapore several buildings have, in recent times, been
tested to have non- class ‘0’ cladding. Stringent
rules are critical to the fire safety of buildings and cladding related fires.
Hence more stringent rules and fire test should be implemented.
There is certainly a loophole in the system regarding the
fire safety of cladding in Singapore. It is not until the tragic Toh Guan fire
that happened in May 2017, where a 54-year-old woman perished that the Singapore
Civil Defence Force(SCDF) then, decided to carry out an evaluation of their
fire safety protocols and certification process of the external cladding of the
building (Ng, 2017). The Toh Guan fire was also the trigger for fire safety checks,
on several buildings in Singapore. Which led to the discovery of 36 buildings
that did not satisfy the SCDF safety requirements. (Loh, 2017)
Firstly in Singapore the fire testing process
of a cladding panel involves setting of a panel on fire and observing its
flame spread. This however does not fully show how a real fire would react with
the material, a full-scale fire test with multiple panels should be implemented
as it would be a good representation of a fire in a full-scale building .(Lee,2017)
Secondly the certification for the cladding could be
improved. Currently the cladding material is taken from the production line and
then sent to the testers for evaluation (Arjen, 2017), this however does not
ensure that the correct materials are used by the buildings(Filierman,2017). A
suggestion would be to send the materials that is headed for the construction
sites to be tested.
In conclusion the loophole in the system must be fixed to
prevent another cladding related fire, and the SCDF should periodically review their
fire regulations instead of reviewing them only after a fatality or incident. Furthermore,
a full-scale test on the cladding material should be carried out despite its
higher cost to have a more realistic representation, this in turn would provide
a more accurate result for the certification of the material.
Reference
Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent
times: Experts (2017). Todayonline. Retrieved, June17, 2017 from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts
36 buildings using cladding that may not meet standard
(2017).TheStraitstime. Retrieved, August 25,2017 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/36-buildings-using-cladding-that-may-not-meet-standard
36 buildings may have combustible cladding that doesn't meet
safety standards; police investigating (2017) . ChannelNewsAsia. Retrieved,
August 24, 2017 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/36-buildings-may-have-combustible-cladding-that-doesn-t-meet-9153588
Fire tests on building cladding too lenient; certification
process can be improved: Experts. ChannelNewsAsia. Retrieved, September 11,2017
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fire-tests-on-building-cladding-too-lenient-certification-9203268
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