[SystemSafety] Grenfell Tower external structure [was: Reynobond panelling]

[Peter Bernard Ladkin]

Some clarity is emerging. An article after the police statement on Friday detailed some of the
outside structure at Grenfell Tower:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/23/grenfell-tower-fire-police-considering-manslaughter-charges

The outside walls are covered directly with Celotex RS5000 insulation material. The Celotex is
coated with foil (the article doesn't specify the substance or construction of the foil). Then a
50mm=5cm air gap to the Reynobond panelling.

According to the police spokeswoman, the Celotex insulation proved "more flammable" than the
Reynobond panelling. The air gap is there to allow the wall to breathe, which suggests to me that
the foil is permeable to air and moisture. A possible "chimney effect" resulting from the air gap is
being considered.

Celotex has said that it is halting the supply of RS5000 for use in buildings over 18m tall "pending
further clarity".

It is apparently still not completely clear whether Reynobond PE panels on this building were
compliant with building-regulations guidance or not. No matter how this resolves, if it takes more
than a week and a half - and counting - of concentrated attention from many parties to determine it,
then it is surely understandable why a building contractor might have used them a year ago.

The word "guidance" here is important. As I pointed out on 2017-06-18, the building regulations
themselves are unequivocal in their requirement, that the "external walls of the building shall
adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls". It seems pretty clear with hindsight that the
Grenfell Tower outside construction did not fulfil this regulation.

PBL

Prof. Peter Bernard Ladkin, Bielefeld, Germany
MoreInCommon
Je suis Charlie
Tel+msg +49 (0)521 880 7319  www.rvs-bi.de





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