In the
article “Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts”
(Mokhtar, 2017) states that although there are benefits of cladding on a
building, it can be a threat as it serves as a fire hazard. According to
Mokhtar’s (2017) article, Fadeyi (2017) mentioned that cladding has been proven
to help in the reduction of energy consumption in a building by using lesser
energy to cool its surroundings. And Budig (2017) mentions that the function of
cladding in Singapore is mainly used to improve the shading of the building. An
SCDF spokesman states that in Singapore the materials used in cladding must
adhere to the strict requirements of the class ’0’ standard to attain the local
product certification (Mokhtar, 2017).
Mokhtar
(2017) reports that cladding may have contributed to the fire that struck the
Grenfell Tower, which led to multiple fatalities. And In Singapore, several
buildings have, in recent times, been tested to have non- class ‘0’ cladding.
(Mokhtar, 2017)Stringent rules are critical to the fire safety of the buildings
and the prevention of cladding related fires. Hence more stringent rules and
fire test should be implemented to ensure that buildings are safe.
The
fire safety rules and regulations could be stricter. It was 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) 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 inspections on several buildings in Singapore that led
to the discovery of 36 buildings that did not satisfy the SCDF safety
requirements (Ng, 2017). I believe that the SCDF regulations and fire test on
cladding could be improved on.
Firstly,
in Singapore the fire testing process of a cladding panel involves setting a
panel on fire and observing the flame spread. This method of testing is flawed
as it is inadequate and overly simple to prove that it is compliant to the
class ‘0’ standard set by the SCDF. The current testing process does not fully
show how a real fire would react with the cladding material. Hence a full-scale
fire test with multiple panels should be implemented as it would be a good
representation of a fire should it break out in an entire building (Leong,
2017)
Secondly,
the certification process for the cladding could be improved. Currently the
cladding material is taken from the production line and sent to the testers for
evaluation, this however does not ensure that the materials used on buildings
in Singapore are compliant to the standards (Leong, 2017)A suggestion would be
to send the materials that is headed for the construction sites to be tested.
So as to ensure that the cladding material that is to be used in the upcoming
construction has gone through testing.
In
conclusion, the loophole in the system must be fixed to prevent another
cladding related fire. The SCDF should periodically review their fire regulations
instead of reviewing them only after a fatality or incident. Additionally, a
full-scale test on the cladding material should be carried out to have a more
realistic representation, of how the fire would spread. And this would
definitely provide a more precise certification of the material.
References
Leong, W. K. (2017, September
11). Fire tests on building cladding too lenient; certification process can be
improved: Experts. Channel News Asia. Retrieved from
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fire-tests-on-building-cladding-too-lenient-certification-9203268
Mokhtar, F. (2017, june 17). Use
of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts. Todayonline.
Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts
Ng, J. S. (2017, August 25). 36
buildings using cladding that may not meet standard. The Straits Time.
Retrieved from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/36-buildings-using-cladding-that-may-not-meet-standard
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