There are a multitude of cladding products currently installed on facades everywhere which have combustible properties. Of those, Aluminium Composite Panelling (ACP), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), both of which come in various guises, as well as Polyester Insulation appear to be among the most prevalent.
Typically, buildings built from the early 1990s onwards stand a greater chance of having been clad in ACP than those built before. The timing is linked to an exponential increase in its manufacture after a patent held for one of the earliest ACP products developed expired.
This paved the way for competition in market share and experimentation in alternative applications. Relying on the identification of ACP on a façade alone is insufficient to gauge the level of risk it poses to your building and its occupants. It’s location, extent, level of combustibility as well as the combustible nature of substrates and other proximate materials are equally important factors which must also be taken into account.
This is best performed by a suitably qualified and certified Fire Engineer. CFS Global provide this service.
