Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor, asks if the second major fire at Torch Tower in Dubai, the world’s tallest residential building, has lessons for the Grenfell Tower enquiry.
On Saturday another big fire engulfed in the unfortunately named Torch Tower in Dubai. Torch Tower, at 337m (1,106 ft), is the largest residential building in the world. This is the second major fire at the building in 2 years.
According to fire engineering consultancy Tenable Dubai, that fire spread alarmingly fast because of external cladding and initial images seem to implicate the cladding again on this fire.
Fortunately neither fire resulted in any fatalities, apparently due to the design and construction of the building that enabled firefighters to tackle the blaze. Also, residents were evacuated via smoke-free, fire-free safety zones.
More on the latest Torch Tower blaze
Back in May 2016, Buildingtalk highlighted the misunderstandings in the industry about the regulations on cladding and fire safety and warned about the dangers:
Stone wool insulation and fire safety in multi-storey buildings
We also looked again at the role of cladding at the Grenfell Tower fire and asked:
Would non-combustible cladding have prevented the Grenfell Tower tragedy?
The experiences of both the fire and the rescue at the Torch Tower blazes will be very relevant to the Grenfell Tower enquiry.
A rundown office and warehouse building completely transformed into a modern headquarters for Atlas Copco has been fitted with more than 120 internal fire doors from Enfield Speciality Doors.
Posted in Access Control & Door Entry Systems, Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Systems, Case Studies, Doors, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Posts, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Security and Fire Protection, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency, Timber Buildings and Timber Products, Wooden productsAbloy UK, a leading provider of security and access control solutions, has launched a new white paper.
Posted in Access Control & Door Entry Systems, Architectural Ironmongery, Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Doors, Facility Management & Building Services, Health & Safety, Information Technology, Innovations & New Products, Publications, Research & Materials Testing, Security and Fire ProtectionDavid Roy of MCRMA member company Roofconsult has more than 50 years’ experience to draw upon working in the building envelope sector and a unique perspective on how it has changed in that time.
Posted in Articles, BIM, Infrastructure & CAD Software, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Building Systems, Cladding, Information Technology, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Roofs, WallsCraig Fox, Sales Director for Strand Hardware, outlines how door industry professionals might apply door limiting stays…
Posted in Architectural Ironmongery, Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Doors, Facility Management & Building Services, Health & Safety, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation