Cladding due diligence George Bouwens sets out seven key considerations.
Stirling office welcomes new graduate LUCy yATES joins the Galbraith Stirling team as a graduate commercial surveyor where she will be working on agency, valuation and development projects alongside associate Harry Stott and partner Richard Higgins. Originally from North Berwick, Lucy has studied and worked across Scotland. She recently completed a masters in real estate management and development from Edinburgh’s Heriot Watt University and also has a degree in international hospitality management from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. As an undergraduate, Lucy gained a year of work experience at the five-star Gleneagles Hotel as chef de rang in the Strathearn Restaurant and, following graduation in 2016, she worked for six-months as a chalet host for a luxury chalet company in the French ski resort of Val d’Isère. Although the move from hospitality to real estate might seem unusual, the two industries share similar skillsets – and a strong focus on client relationships. This was bolstered by Lucy’s passion for the built environment, and the diverse workload the industry offers both in the office and onsite. lucy.yates@galbraithgroup.com 01786 435 046
FOLLOWinG recent high-profile incidents, the materials and specification used to clad buildings remains under the spotlight and has implications for contractors, landlords and tenants.
property with sufficient escape routes and low risk use has a reduced level of risk than a multi-storey building where the risk is greatly increased and additional safety systems such as sprinklers may need to be installed.
As building construction technology and building regulations have evolved the design and use of certain materials has been superseded. Change and improvements are nothing new in the built environment, but neither is preservation or refurbishment of existing and older properties. Our building consultancy team works on a daily basis with all types of buildings which use cladding systems. Here we outline some of our key considerations:
application
Knowledge of materials and products Cladding is used for many reasons and often performs various roles as part of a building’s fabric, sometimes for aesthetics and sometime insulation, for example. It is used across all sectors in offices, industrial buildings, hotels and residential dwellings. Older cladding is not automatically noncompliant or obsolete. Buildings clad with composite or rain screen panels containing core material which may be flammable in isolation can still be regarded as perfectly fit for use. Identification of the cladding and its composition is the first stage of any survey.
The design and application of cladding has to be understood just as much as the product specification. This is perhaps the most recent focus following a disastrous realisation of the ‘chimney effect’ which can arise in some instances when a building is retrospectively ‘over-clad’. Application, including fixing specifications and fire barriers, can be identified on site via a survey or through a review of construction documentation.
Condition The insulation core of a composite panel or the general core of a rain screen panel is protected by the composite components and this reduces the opportunities for ignition. All cladding should be well maintained. The complete wall build-up and specification, position of cavity barrier, fixings and standard of construction are also all important factors. Beyond general wear over time, where we find cladding to be in poor condition this has normally arisen through improper installation or retrospective repairs where third party materials may have been used.
the use of the building
installation of other fire mitigation systems
In relation to wider fire safety, a clear understanding and assessment of the building use is important. For example, a single-storey
Although not all buildings require them, if the building is fitted with a sprinkler system throughout, is it operational, are the fire alarm
Page 14 | Commercial Matters | Winter 2018/19 | galbraithgroup.com
