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Building fires were listed among the top ‘site risks’ by the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2019. Over the years, safety holds multiple definitions for the industry, but the question remains: how has the industry adapted to be better equipped to tackle fires?
The Sharjah Abbco Tower fire in May 2020, which gutted the “49-floor tower of 328 residential apartments and parking,” impacted first the façade that was made of “quick-burning materials, such as aluminium-clad panels (ACP),” Construction Week reported.
Addressing the risks that buildings in the region are most vulnerable to, Cavendish Maxwell’s Head of Project and Building Consultancy, Benjamin Walker told Construction Week: “In terms of vulnerabilities for buildings in the UAE, the biggest talking point would be the fire risk, given the significant high-profile fires here in the region. And, that really stems from the use of aluminium composite panel cladding (ACP), which increases the risk of a building.”
He continued: “Dubai has sky-rocketed and grown exponentially. About 20-30 years ago when the focus was largely on low-rises was not prolific, but over the last 20 years, whilst the landscape has grown in area, it has grown in height as well with the implementation of high-rises largely clad in ACP, and with that comes a different risk profile for buildings in the UAE.”
The increased risk of fires has effectively “increased premiums across the board, and they are continually increasing,” Walker said, adding that the municipality is doing their best to outlaw certain types of cladding and facilitate replacement of some areas of cladding.
Walker advised that building owners and managers carry out the first risk assessment of their property as a starting point. “It is important to understand whether the cladding is high, low, or medium risk and how that can be mitigated. A number of factors play into the risk profile of the cladding and building overall.”
“Insurers we’ve spoken are taking a worst-case scenario for any building clad with ACP. At Cavendish Maxwell, we then assess such a scenario and provide a detailed information package about that cladding, which can then be passed to the insurer, who can allocate an insurance better with a view to reduce premiums.”
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Accept allCookie preferencesxSarah-Jane Carter
BA (Hons) DipM
Head of Marketing
Sarah-Jane joined Cavendish Maxwell in January 2020 as Head of Marketing and is responsible for the development of the marketing strategy and execution across the Middle East region. An energetic and results driven marketer, Sarah-Jane possesses a wealth of multi-channel marketing experience, within both B2B and B2C environments which she has gained over a 25 year career. Prior to joining Cavendish Maxwell, Sarah-Jane held senior marketing positions for major developers in Dubai including Emaar, Dubai Properties and Dubai Sports City. She also worked for IWG as the Regional Marketing Director responsible for the MEA and APAC regions. Before relocating to the UAE in 2005, Sarah-Jane held various management roles in public and private sector companies in the UK including ten years at Royal Mail and seven years at the Bank of America.
Sarah-Jane is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has a BA(Hons) Degree in Business and Marketing