I/V w/ Auckland Council about PE (combustible) cladding: June 27, 2018

You would have possibly seen in the news recently that Auckland has a number of buildings with the same type of cladding as that of the Grenfell Tower. This came out around the same time as the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Auckland Council had conducted their own investigations into the possible dangers of this cladding and their conclusion reads as follows:

Auckland Council has reviewed over 300 buildings which comprise of a mix of residential and commercial buildings (some of these involve sites with multiple buildings which we have also individually assessed).

All hospital buildings were included in the investigation regardless of height and some sites had multiple buildings.

The investigation found 116 buildings that appear to utilise ACP cladding to some extent. In some cases the cladding material possesses a modified FR (fire resistant) core, while far fewer cases have cladding with a combustible polyethylene core. The extent and use of ACP on the buildings varies considerably from the full façade, to decorative features only and, as noted above, many buildings examined did not contain ACP at all.

We haven’t identified any building that would be considered dangerous due to ACP cladding.

In many cases, the use of ACP is limited and the safety from fire of such buildings and their occupants is maintained by features such as sprinkler systems that reduce potential fire risks.

The buildings comprise a mix of residential and commercial, all are considered low risk.

Lillian Hanly spoke with Auckland Council Building Control general manager Ian McCormick to find out more about the council’s investigation and really understand the similarities between the cladding and the risks they are looking to mitigate.