UQ engineers backed by state government to compile Australia’s first database of flammable cladding
An online database that provides a fire risk assessment of cladding materials commonly used in building design has been developed by engineers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
The Cladding Materials Library details the potential health risks to building occupants, fire fighters and the public from flammable cladding.
It is the first list of its kind in Australia and was developed in collaboration with the Queensland government’s Department of Housing and Public Works.
“A comprehensive database is urgently required to assist the fire safety engineering community,” the UQ database website says.
“Given the lack of public research and available data in this area, combined with the unidentified number of different cladding systems and materials in existing buildings, a material data approach, while more conservative in nature, is the preferred approach.”
The initiative followed a major fire in a 21-storey apartment tower in inner city Melbourne in 2014, which was spread rapidly by aluminium-composite cladding on the building’s exterior. Apartment owners took legal action against the building company to recoup $12 million in damages.
A court ruling found the architect, fire engineer and building surveyor who worked on the project had failed to remedy “design defects” that allowed the use of flammable cladding.
The UQ database was funded by the state government and involved a building safety taskforce that audits building products and fire safety systems in commercial and public buildings such as hospitals and schools.
The database says the methodology it uses to assess the fire hazards of cladding materials is “not intended to determine if any specific façade design is safe”.
“It is intended to provide the data necessary for a competent fire safety engineer to conduct the analysis required to determine the safety of a façade system corresponding to a specific set of materials, a specific configuration and a specific building context,” it says.
“The flammability of cladding materials – aluminium composite panels, insulation, and any other materials such as sarking – is defined based on well-established testing frameworks widely accepted in the fire safety engineering community. These frameworks have been applied and peer reviewed.”
The database also emphasises that building safety requires a well-designed system of fire doors and floor layouts that minimise risk for occupants. It says building design should include a fire safety strategy that allows rapid evacuation and easy access for fire fighters.