Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report 2024, West London fire witness, UK high-rise property safety review

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report: West London Fire

Hackitt Interim Report: Block of Flats Development in North Kensington, British Capital City, England, UK

RIBA responds to Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has issued its initial response to the Grenfell Inquiry’s Phase 2 Report, published today, Wednesday 4 September 2024.

4 September 2024

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report Reaction

RIBA Chair of Board Jack Pringle said:

“We welcome this thorough examination of the causes of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower and accept the report’s findings.

It is only through the objective, independent and expert analysis of the evidence so sadly created by the events of 14 June 2017 that a safer built environment can emerge.

The failures which led to the fire were system-wide, with myriad contributing factors in the years preceding, on the morning of, and in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The report makes clear that people’s safety requires reform of structures and regulations. This includes systemic change within the construction industry, and a fundamental shift in culture and behaviours. This is a collaborative endeavour and RIBA has committed to playing a leading role.

As the Inquiry also notes, RIBA has taken steps since June 2017 to improve education and training in our profession. With the benefit of these comprehensive findings, and as recommended, we will review the measures already introduced.

Many of the report’s insights and recommendations, particularly on the role and responsibilities of an architect, have great relevance for our members. We will take time to study them in detail, update our members, and continue to play an active role in the creation of a safer built environment.”

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CIBSE commitment to building safety

CIBSE’s ongoing commitment to building safety following the release of the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report

London, UK – 4 September 2024 | The release of the final report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry stands as a significant and poignant moment in the ongoing reckoning with the devastating loss of 72 lives in June 2017. This is a deeply emotional and harrowing chapter for the bereaved, the survivors and the families of the Grenfell Tower victims. CIBSE recognises the suffering that has persisted, and our hearts go out, once more, to all those whose lives were forever altered by this unimaginable tragedy.

CIBSE continues to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to building safety as the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in now published. CIBSE Technical Director, Dr Anastasia Mylona, commented on the report: “The findings of the Grenfell Inquiry report are both sobering and a stark reminder of the critical need for transparency, integrity and robust regulation within our industry. As the report highlights systemic failures, CIBSE remains committed to driving the necessary reforms in building and fire safety engineering practices. Our role is to ensure that the highest standards are upheld, and that the safety of residents is always the paramount concern in the built environment.”

CIBSE’s proactive measures and involvement:

CIBSE has been actively involved in shaping the future of building safety through various initiatives and contributions:

• Consultation and guidance: CIBSE has been a key player in consultations on draft legislation and guidance, providing expert input to help shape the frameworks that will govern building safety for years to come.

• Building Safety focus at Build2Perform: Last year’s Build2Perform event had a significant focus on building safety, bringing together industry leaders to discuss and collaborate on enhancing safety standards across the sector.

• Support for BS8670: CIBSE supported the British Standards Institution (BSI) in developing BS8670, Core Criteria for Building Safety Competence Frameworks, along with its supporting Publicly Available Specifications (PAS). These documents are vital in setting the standards for safety competence across the industry.

• Active participation in Working Groups and Committees: CIBSE staff and volunteers have been actively involved in various working groups and committees, contributing to the development of new legislation and guidance aimed at improving building safety.

• Enhancing competence standards: CIBSE has been instrumental in supporting the “Raising the Bar” initiative and the updates to UK Spec 4, which include new, enhanced competence requirements published by the Engineering Council. These are aimed at engineers working on Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) through Contextualised Registration, for which CIBSE is licensed to assess candidates. The Discipline Annex for Building Services, written by CIBSE staff and volunteers, provides further guidance on these enhanced competence requirements.

• Training and education: CIBSE has been proactive in offering training courses, such as the “Introduction to the Building Safety Act,” which has seen strong attendance from professionals across various sectors. These courses provide essential knowledge and insights into the new safety regulations and their implications for the industry.

• Dedicated resource: CIBSE has established a Building Services Fire Safety Working Group to lead and inform the Institution’s technical guidance and responses to government consultations.

As the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is set to provide further learning points, CIBSE remains committed to driving much-needed change within the industry. The Institution will continue to support its members and the broader construction community in implementing the lessons learned from Grenfell and ensuring that building safety remains a top priority.

About CIBSE

The leading authority on building services engineering and a pioneer in responding to the threat of climate change, CIBSE exists to advance global best practice in the profession.

Through harnessing the expertise of our members, CIBSE represents the profession as a trusted voice to provide advice and guidance to Government on matters relating to construction, engineering and sustainability.

For over 127 years, CIBSE has supported a community of over 22,000 professionals worldwide in their pursuit of excellence in building performance, sustainability and safety to influence the well-being of individuals and communities of today and of future generations. CIBSE members continue to create the most environmentally friendly systems in major projects across the globe.
Find out more about CIBSE via www.cibse.org

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PRP Comment on Report – Block of Flats in North Kensington, London

PRP reacts to the publication of the Grenfell Inquiry Report

Andrew Mellor, Partner at PRP, and Technical Advisor on Building Regulations to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, comments:

“The executive summary of the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report makes damning reading and is critical of several bodies and organisations for their conduct before the tragedy. The full report is expected to be even more so.

“The recommendations for change and improvement are wide and far reaching. If adopted, many of the recommendations will bring significant change, but implementation could take years. As a practice, we welcome the proposal for the ARB and RIBA to review the sufficiency of the competency changes they have already implemented for architects. I have advocated for a single regulator for Building Safety for several years; we do not have that today, even with the Building Safety Regulator.

“The inquiry recommendations go further and propose a single construction regulator responsible for construction product regulations, testing, fire risk assessor accreditations, building control oversight, and the licensing of contractors to work on Higher Risk Buildings (HRB). This is huge and impacts both current responsibilities and those planned for various government departments. While it’s a sensible proposal, it will require a lot of resources to implement. I anticipate it will take at least two years before it can become operational.

“We also welcome the proposal to review all Approved Documents, including Approved Document B fire safety, to ensure clarity and that they are fit for purpose. The proposal for a statement in the statutory guidance documents that says reliance on the guidance will not necessarily ensure compliance with Building Regulations is one that will be worrisome for many designers and contractors.

“The proposed national register of contractors for HRBs will be welcomed by clients. But will many contractors sign up when a director has to personally guarantee that the building constructed is as safe as required by the Building Regulations? We will see.

“There is much more to review, and the full report will need to be thoroughly examined to fully grasp the implications of the findings and recommendations.”

About PRP

PRP is a long-established architectural firm with over 100 awards to its name. An interdisciplinary practice, PRP has been designing since 1963 high quality buildings that enrich the lives of users and their communities.

Whether regenerating inner-city estates, masterplanning new neighbourhoods, designing commercial and industrial buildings or homes for older people, our ethos is always the same – intelligent, responsive and sustainable solutions, delivered with professionalism and total integrity. PRP employs more than 320 staff across its London, Manchester, Surrey, Wroclaw and Sopot studios. PRP is a B Corp Certified company. www.prp-co.uk

Grenfell Tower in West London
photograph by Natalie Oxford, courtesy of wikimedia commons

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Fire Brigades Union Comment on Inquiry Report

Grenfell Tower Inquiry – Fire Brigades Union Comment

The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be published next week, Wednesday 4 September.

The Fire Brigades Union is a core participant of the Inquiry and represents the overwhelming majority of firefighters in the UK.

The FBU has raised key issues around:

• Grenfell as a crime of deregulation, caused by political decisions made at the highest level
• Missed opportunities and a culture of complacency leading to the fire, and lack of action since
• The cladding and building safety crisis continuing to put lives at risk

Fire Brigades Union, Bradley House 68, Coombe Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7AE, United Kingdom.

14 June 2022

Grenfell fifth anniversary: firefighter numbers cut since Grenfell

The Fire Brigades Union has revealed that 221 firefighter positions have been cut since Grenfell, as the fifth anniversary of the fire takes place on 14 June.

Grenfell Tower fifth anniversary

Previously on e-architect:

30 March 2022

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: politicians “must take brunt of blame” as they take to the stand

Politicians are set to appear as witnesses at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry for the first time on Wednesday 30 March, amidst calls for the inquiry to highlight the role of governments in creating the system that in turn caused the disaster.

Brandon Lewis MP, now Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, was minister with responsibility for fire from 2012-2014 and again in 2016-17. He will be the first politician to take to the stand, followed by Stephen Williams, Lord Wharton and Gavin Barwell, all of whom were ministers with responsibility for the building regulations in the run up to the disaster. Last will be Eric Pickles, who had overall responsibility for both fire and building safety between 2010 and 2015.

Matt Wrack, general secretary, Fire Brigades Union, said:

“Politicians over successive decades committed to deregulation as a fundamental political idea. They have scrapped standards, privatised public services and weakened the regime of inspecting buildings. They must bear the brunt of the blame for Grenfell. A clear line can be drawn from these political decisions to key failures at Grenfell, with highly flammable cladding and insulation facilitated by a lack of clear regulation.

“In its questioning and its reports the inquiry must highlight the truth – it must expose the role of deregulation and those who pursued it in killing 72 people.”

The politicians being called to give evidence were ministers in David Cameron’s Tory-led government. Cameron pledged to “kill off health and safety culture for good” and committed to delivering £10bn of deregulation (in terms of reducing cost to industry).

Successive governments since 2010 enforced the “Red Tape Challenge” to strip away life-saving laws put in place to protect the public. They introduced rules such as ‘one in, one out’ – then two out and finally in 2016 ‘one in, three out’, to make it very difficult to introduce new safety measures.

Wrack said: “For building safety, civil servants were told that new regulations were off the table and the review of Approved Document B guidance was not a priority. Ministers demanded more privatisation, while weakening local building control with swingeing cuts and edicts for light touch enforcement. They failed to implement the coroner’s recommendations after the Lakanal House fire. They oversaw a building safety regime even their appointed expert Judith Hackitt found was not fit for purpose.

“These ministers used their time in office to promote the privatisation of the fire and rescue service. They forced the sale of the Fire Service College. They tried to force through the ‘mutualisation’ of local fire and rescue services, turning our public service into a business. They told inspectors to go easy on corporations and owners, rather than punish those breaking fire safety law. They imposed the worst cuts in our history, cutting one-in-five operational firefighters while expected our members to do ever-more arduous work.

“It is time to call ministers to account. The buck stops with ministers in charge in the years leading up to the fire.”

30 March 2022

Minister “dismantled the fire service” in years before Grenfell fire

The trade union representing firefighters has highlighted the role of Brandon Lewis in damaging the fire and rescue service in the years preceding Grenfell as he appears before the inquiry.

Brandon Lewis MP was minister with responsibility for fire between 2012 and 2014, and again from 2016 to 2017. Today he is the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is appearing to give evidence before the Grenfell Tower Inquiry today, Wednesday 30 March, and is the first politician to do so.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said:
“I watched for years as Brandon Lewis took an axe to the fire and rescue service. Our union warned of the destruction he was risking, yet we were ignored time and time again. He purposefully and persistently dismantled the fire and rescue service, through cuts and a privatisation agenda. In just five years between 2012 and 2017, 20% of firefighting posts were cut across England – that’s one in five firefighters. In London, 10 fire stations closed in 2014. Those cuts have had disastrous consequences across the country, and directly relate to the worst loss of life in a fire since the war.”

Background:

In 2013, Brandon Lewis commissioned an efficiencies review of the fire and rescue service in England by former chief fire and rescue adviser Ken Knight, which recommended saving money through a variety of untested suggestions such as substituting retained (part-time or on-call) firefighters for wholetime crews and was seen by the FBU as “a fig leaf for further cuts to the fire and rescue service”.

Brandon Lewis was also responsible for failing to resolve serious fire safety issues. Prevention and enforcement were weakened, fire safety officers were cut by 25% between 2011 and 2017, and the number of fire safety audits falling by around a third between 2012/13 and 2016/17.

Brandon Lewis appears to have supported privatisation in relation to the fire and rescue service, with a 2013 Daily Mirror story stating the newspaper had obtained a letter by Lewis to the Regulatory Reform committee, in which he called for new laws that “would enable fire and rescue authorities in England to contract out their full range of services to a suitable provider”. He also oversaw the sale of the Fire Service College to Capita, and indicated support for the attempted mutualisation of Cleveland Fire Brigade, saying Cleveland Fire Authority “wants” mutualisation.

Brandon Lewis made statements which were supportive of deregulation in relation to the fire sector, for example telling the 2012 CFOA conference that “I firmly believe that businesses have the right to expect that those enforcing regulatory compliance do so in accordance with the fundamental principles of better regulation” and during a 2014 Westminster Hall debate saying “We believe that it is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market fire sprinkler systems effectively and to encourage their wider installation”.

Statistics used on England-wide firefighter post cuts – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire1101-previous-data-tables

Statistics on fire and rescue cuts in London – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire1101-previous-data-tables and https://metro.co.uk/2017/06/14/boris-johnson-slashed-londons-fire-services-in-2014-and-told-rival-politician-to-get-stuffed-6708609/

Statistics on fire safety officer numbers – https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/29/englands-fire-services-suffer-25-cut-to-safety-officers-numbers

Statistics on fire safety audits – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire1202-previous-data-tables

Brandon Lewis quote at CFOA conference: Brandon Lewis, Address to the Chief Fire Officers Association Autumn conference, 19-21 September 2012. Quoted in ‘Ministerial address: building for the future’, FIRE, (October 2012: 5)

Sources with regards to Brandon Lewis overseeing sale of the Fire Service College: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sale-of-the-fire-service-college-completed and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-20715276

9 March 2022

Fire Brigades Union says key Grenfell witness “must be held responsible” for his actions

Ken Knight’s testimony before the Grenfell Tower Inquiry must mark a sea-change in holding key government advisers to account for the fire, the Fire Brigades Union has said. The union has demanded he is held responsible for his actions.

His testimony is due to start at 2pm on Wednesday 9 March.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said:
“Ken Knight was a senior adviser to the Westminster government on fire safety in the years running up to Grenfell, and he needs to accept his share of culpability. In the run-up to the fire, government ministers took an axe to the UK’s fire and rescue service and fire safety regulation, and Ken Knight helped provide cover for them to do that. He would also have had countless opportunities to raise concerns around key issues that would later contribute to Grenfell, but he failed to do so.

“We need to know from Knight whether, when and how he warned ministers of the risks from cladding and other fire safety failures – and how these ministers responded to any such other warnings before the fire.

“Any line of questioning that fails to take into account Knight’s role in creating and sustaining a system that failed will be one that falls short and fails the bereaved, residents and survivors of Grenfell. He must be held responsible for his actions, both at the inquiry and more widely.”

In the years prior to Grenfell Knight held a number of prominent fire related roles, including Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor to the Westminster Government between 2007 and 2013, and Commissioner of London Fire Brigade between 2003 and 2007.

The union is of the view that several specific areas of Knight’s record are particular causes for concern, including:

• He was a leading figure advising ministers on fire safety between 2007 and 2013, but failed to raise concerns around regulations in a significant manner, including on building safety. Concerns have since been raised since around various regulations that would be relevant to this role, such as Approved Document B.

• His failure to warn about important high-rise firefighting risks during his time as Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor to the government when contributing to the production of several important pieces of vital guidance, including the much-criticised LGA Fire safety in purpose built flats guidance (2011), and new guidance on high rise firefighting . This includes warning about how cladding could aid the spread of fire and how this might relate to “stay put” advice.

• He was director of Warrington certification, a private fire testing firm, between 2004 and last year. As part of his work for Warrington Knight certified similar cladding to that fitted on Grenfell. Warrington shared a parent company with the fire safety consultant for the refurbishment of Grenfell.

• His “efficiencies” review of the fire and rescue service in England, carried out as the government’s Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor and published in 2013, which gave the green light to saving money through a variety of untested suggestions. These included the use of non-operational “Green Book” staff to conduct regulatory fire safety work such as audits and inspections, and substituting on-call firefighters for wholetime crews. See p23 https://www.fbu.org.uk/publications/grenfell-tower-fire-background-atrocity

• His writing of a report for the government on the 2009 Lakanal House fire in Camberwell, which killed six, which said that requiring fire suppression systems, a group which includes sprinklers, to be fitted to existing high-rises was not “economically viable”.

• He effectively ignored a warning from London Fire Brigade in the wake of that same fire to issue “a warning to housing providers” about the danger of combustible materials used in external cladding systems.

Knight is currently chair of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities which was formed in the immediate aftermath of Grenfell to advise on fire safety.

21 February 2022

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: government knew that cladding shouldn’t have been used from September 2002

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Update in 2022

The government knew that the type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower should “never ever” have been used above 18 meters from the middle of September 2002, evidence at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry today confirms.

Former Building Research Establishment director Debbie Smith gave evidence to the inquiry today in which it was put to her that her evidence to the inquiry was that the government was in “no doubt” that ACM panels with a Polyethlene core should “never ever” be used above 18 meters from mid-September 2002. She confirmed that this was her evidence, within the context of the development of a large-scale test for cladding systems. ACM panels with a Polyethlene core were used in the refurbishment of Grenfell, and played a key role in the fire spreading.

In September 2002 the results of fire tests of ACM Polyethylene cladding permitted under guidance at the time were delivered to government by the Building Research Establishment, which according to Deputy Editor at Inside Housing Peter Apps showed ACM systems to have “utterly disastrous failure” here. According to Apps the government nonetheless did not issue any warning to industry not to use it and did not alter guidance in a manner which should have prevented its use on tall buildings.

Commenting, Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said:
“It is sickening that the government knew of the risks of this cladding 15 years before the disaster at Grenfell. They did nothing for one and a half decades. Westminster governments are the ones responsible for this failure to regulate properly.

“We also have to ask why it has taken almost five years to start to get to these key facts. This highlights much that has gone wrong with this inquiry so far.
“Whilst this is appalling, it isn’t a shock. Everything we know about Grenfell and governments’ attitude to fire safety over past decades suggests that priority was always given to the demands of corporate interests above the needs of people.

Previously on e-architect:

24 January 2022

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: “those who created and enabled” deserve most blame

• Fire Brigades Union lawyer Martin Seaward has told the inquiry that any assessment of the fire and rescue service must take place “in the wider political and economic context”

• He underlined that the disaster was caused by individual private companies and government, with “total” building failure and “widespread” systematic failings.

• He said that “It is particularly wrong to blame the individual firefighters and control staff who attended the disaster in its early stages”

• The London Fire Brigade’s work was impeded by austerity cuts and privatisation for decades before Grenfell.

• The Government cannot fragment and cut away at public services and yet expect them to shoulder ever greater responsibilities.

The Grenfell Tower disaster was caused by “individual private companies which were allowed to put profit before people” and the disaster “represented the culmination of a generation of Central Government policies including deregulation and the ‘war’ on the culture of health and safety, privatisation, fragmentation, austerity and the degradation of social housing”, according to oral evidence given to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry by lawyer for the Fire Brigades Union Martin Seaward. Elsewhere in his evidence he also emphasised that lessons must be learnt by London Fire Brigade.

In the cropped photo below note how the white rainscreen panels appear more intact than the grey ACM panels, logical as the latter have a greater fire load:
Grenfell Tower Aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and rainscreen cladding
cropped photo by Natalie Oxford, courtesy of wikimedia commons

Systemic causes

Seaward said “the building failure was so total and the systemic failings so widespread across the country that it would be wrong to scapegoat the Fire and Rescue Service for the failures of Central Government and a corporate culture that made people’s homes unsafe”. He added that “the performance of the fire and rescue service” at Grenfell must be assessed “in the wider political and economic context, apportioning blame where it is due, particularly, in relation to those who created and enabled this truly horrifying disaster”.

He added that “It is particularly wrong to blame the individual firefighters and control staff who attended the disaster in its early stages”, in part as “any deficiencies in the performance of the London Fire Brigade were institutional or due to inadequate senior management”.

He said that “the manufacturing companies manipulated the flawed testing and certification regime, the private companies involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower created a wholly unsafe building surrounded by highly flammable material, from which the Tenant Management Organisation’s under-resourced and ineffective fire risk management system failed to safeguard the residents”. He then stated “The lack of care shown by the private companies, was facilitated and enabled by policies made since 1979 by Central Government in the service of a social and economic system driven by the pursuit of profit above all else, including people”.

Naming specific policies here, he said “Deregulation and the ‘war on the culture of health and safety’ facilitated the use of the inflammable cladding that destroyed Grenfell Tower… privatisation weakened public services and introduced conflicts of interest between safety and profit as we have seen in the testing and certification regimes”.

Government knowledge of cladding risks

The union’s latest written submission to the inquiry, released today, also raised important questions about what the government knew about combustible cladding as far back as 1991 and why this information was not conveyed to the London Fire Brigade. After the fire at Knowsley Heights, Merseyside in 1991, a handwritten government note from the Department of the Environment, which at the time had responsibility for building regulation, to the Building Research Establishment, asked them to “play down” the issue of the cladding fire at Knowsley. Cladding’s contribution to the fire was then “suppressed”, according to the union.

In its evidence the union says that the note shows that “the government and the Building Research Establishment” were “significantly invested in the success of cladding schemes”, and in oral statements the union’s lawyer to the inquiry, Martin Seaward, added in relation to the note that “the risk of rapid fire spread associated with combustible cladding systems was deliberately downplayed by government and this significantly contributed to the widespread misunderstanding of this risk”.

London Fire Brigade: lessons to be learnt

Seaward said “We accept there are important lessons to be learnt by the London Fire Brigade and the fire and rescue service more generally from Grenfell Tower”. He said that, amongst other things, “Operational crews in London had not been informed that building failure was not rare, that compartmentation could not be relied upon and some cladding materials were combustible, nor of the heightened risk of total building failure these combined risks presented in cladded High Rise Residential Buildings, nor of the resulting need to consider revoking stay put and evacuating such a building, and had not been trained when or how to do so”. He also said that equipment issues caused problems, including communications equipment and aerial appliance.

However, he added that responsibility here went wider than simply the fire brigade itself: “Central Government, the Chief Fire Officers Association, National Fire Chiefs Council, Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor and the London Fire Brigade failed to equip and prepare the operational crews, incident commanders and control room staff for a major disaster such as Grenfell Tower”.

Additionally, he added “Any changes or improvements to the fire and rescue service… need to be properly resourced. Central government cannot deregulate, privatise and cut away whilst at the same time increasing the duties of the fire and rescue service”.

Need for a national body for strategy, equipment and operation guidance

The union’s lawyer to the inquiry added that “weaknesses in the preparation and performance of the London Fire Brigade”, including in relation to stay-put in buildings where cladding and compartmentation failure were issues, “can be traced back to the decision of Central Government to remove any form of national body for discussing and developing strategy, equipment and operation guidance across the fire and rescue service”. The Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council, that held this role, was abolished in 2004.

Seaward said that “We submit that a properly resourced national body, crucially including the involvement of firefighter representatives, is … essential to ensure that knowledge of risk is translated into policies and guidance which are properly discussed and then disseminated and implemented across the fire and rescue service”.

He said that expecting individual fire and rescue services to do this themselves was unrealistic – “It is unrealistic, even where the subject matter is drawn to their attention, to expect fragmented, under-resourced fire and rescue services across the country to be on top of what might be happening at another fire and rescue service without national coordination”.

Individual firefighters are not to blame

“Any deficiencies in the performance of the LFB were institutional or due to inadequate senior management. They were not the failings of the individual fire fighters or control staff who attended the disaster. They did their best in accordance with their training and experience to save lives in face of an unprecedented catastrophe”.

“The individual fire fighters who attended the disaster, including the first two Incident Commanders and the supervisors of the Control Room staff, should be relieved of any individual blame. Grenfell Tower was not their fault”.

Grenfell Tower London building
photo courtesy of SE9

Previously on e-architect:

post updated 6 December 2021

Grenfell Inquiry: Grenfell driven by “agenda of deregulation”

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Update

The Fire Brigades Union lawyer for the inquiry has placed central importance on the “agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation” as causing the disaster. Martin Seaward said that an agenda “which encouraged companies to behave recklessly towards building safety” was “actively and, regrettably, deliberately created by central government”.

The comments were made as part of the opening statements for Module 6 of Phase 2 of the inquiry, which is set to focus on government.
Seaward said that this agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation had been in place for “more than four decades”, across multiple governments, and had “predictably… degraded public services such as building control and fire and rescue services, thereby [weakening] enforcement of these regimes, and led to the abolition of national bodies, ambiguity and confusion in the guidance which has been left unclarified, a culture of complacency created towards fire safety, both during and after building works, and private companies being enabled to put profit over people”.

He stated that, in turn, these factors “contributed to the systemic failure of the building and fire safety regimes, thereby enabling the installation of cheap and dangerous rainscreen cladding systems all over the UK, including at Grenfell Tower”.

Seaward specifically named the evolution of building safety regulation “Approved Document B [ADB] with ever greater complexity and flexibility, bringing concomitant ambiguity and scope for manipulation” as an issue here, with confusion around the ADB being “ruthlessly exploited by manufacturing companies for their own commercial self-interest” according to Seaward.

He also pointed to the introduction of the Building Regulations 1985, which “replaced the previously detailed technical and prescriptive regulations, covering at least 300 pages, with ‘functional requirements’ covering just 25 pages, supplemented by guidance in the ADB”. This introduction of “functional” requirements was described by Seaward as a “major change”, which brought with it “significant flexibility” that in turn “could be and was exploited by some in the construction industry”.

Seaward also noted that after the Lakanal House fire, a 2009 fire in which six people died, none of the coroner’s “recommendations were implemented either effectively or at all either by Lord Pickles [Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the recommendations were made], his successors or anyone else in government” – which Seaward said was “the consequence of the government’s deregulatory agenda”. The recommendations included ones relating to “stay put” guidance, guidance on high-rise firefighting, and sprinklers.

Information provided by Fire Brigades Union, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7AE, United Kingdom

Grenfell building entrance
photograph : Metropolitan Police

Previously on e-architect

post updated 13 May 2021

Grenfell Tower Demolition

UK Government community consultation about Grenfell Tower demolition

The British government is due to begin consulting with bereaved families, survivors and the local community on whether to take down Grenfell Tower.

In a letter to residents and families in the community, officials said: “Following important advice from structural engineers about the condition of the tower, we need to consider this summer if, and when, the tower should be carefully taken down to maintain safety.”

The letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said that before any decision is made, advice from engineering experts will be shared with the local community, who will also be allowed to put questions to the engineers.

“I want to reassure you that it will be at least a year before we begin to implement any decision, which means there will be no change to the tower before the fifth anniversary in 2022.

“The work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will continue during this period,” the letter continued, signed by Alistair Watters, director of the Grenfell site and programme at MHCLG.

MHCLG will be holding online meetings between 17 May and 21 July.

It will ask the community about their priorities and preferences. It will also share information from engineers about the condition of the tower, and about its consultations with the Metropolitan Police and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also noted, “The independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission is developing a community-led vision for a memorial, and their work is progressing. Bereaved families, survivors and the local community will continue to be at the heart of determining what the future memorial will be.”

British capital tower building design

25 September 2020

Grenfell Tower inquiry: combustible insulation product

The inquiry heard that safe mineral wool product was ruled out because ‘aspirational’ efficiency target would not have been hit.

A Mechanical and Electrical systems consultant (M&E Engineer) on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment project recommended the use of combustible insulation on the outside of the block as a way to meet an “aspirational” thermal efficiency target.

30 July 2020

Grenfell Tower inquiry: combustible insulation

Rydon’s refurbishment director on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment, Stephen Blake, has admitted to being “haunted” by the lack of scrutiny of the ill-fated project’s cladding and window designs.

Stephen Blake said that in hindsight key elements of the tower block’s refurbishment had been presumed to be correct when they were not.

He also advised that he believed it had been original project architect Studio E’s responsibility to arrange – and pay for – any specialist fire safety advice required, even after Rydon was appointed main contractor on the project and Studio E novated to it.

Fire specialist Exova was hired by the client (Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation) and produced an outline fire safety strategy for the refurbishment in 2013.

However the firm was not novated once Rydon was appointed in 2014.

23 July 2020
Grenfell Tower inquiry: combustible foam boards

The refurbishment specification was to pack the gaps around the windows with non-combustible Rockwool insulation fibre, but Mark Dixon’s company, SD Plastering, instead used combustible foam boards apparently.

The Rydon manager in charge of the project, Simon Lawrence told the inquiry that he didn’t read a bill of works that showed SD Plastering planned to use Celotex panels, at odds with the safer specification. This was in breach of building regulations. The inquiry has already concluded that the foam insulation in the window surrounds “contributed to the rate and extent of vertical flame spread”.

When Simon Lawrence inspected the works in 2015, there were missing finishes and gaps. Emails at the time showed he thought it was “a disaster”.

Simon Lawrence received an email from the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) – which ran the tower in North Kensington – seeking clarity on whether the new cladding would resist a fire.

There is no evidence that he or anyone from Rydon replied to that email.

22 July 2020
Grenfell Tower residents branded as “rebels”

The builder in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment branded residents who questioned the quality of works as “rebels” and complained that they were “persistent and aggressive”.

Evidence has exposed the toxic atmosphere between contractors and occupants of the west London council block. The inquiry also heard there were allegations of harassment and threats by employees of Rydon and of the K&C tenant management organisation (TMO).

Rydon manager Simon Lawrence admitted in an internal email that the site was “poorly performing”. He also apparently noted they were using “cheap incompetent sub-contractors”.

Neil Reed, head of project delivery at the landlord’s agent, complained: “I have never worked with a contractor operating with this level of nonchalance.”

11 July 2020
Grenfell Tower inquiry: Lead fire consultant ‘ignored’ cladding email

The lead fire safety consultant of the Grenfell Tower refurbishment ignored documents outlining proposed cladding and insulation materials.

Terry Ashton, of fire engineering company Exova, said he did not read an email from Studio E architects detailing a planned cladding system because he was not the “primary recipient”.

He also failed to read the architect’s progress report.

The inquiry has concluded that cladding fuelled the 2017 fire in west London.

Grenfell Tower cladding – for top and bottom of the building, the principal cladding appears to be noted as ‘3’ (medium grey, ACM) and ‘5’ (white, rainscreen) in the top left key, ie ACM panels:
Grenfell Tower cladding aluminium rainscreen panels
elevation courtesy of architects via planning portal

The email from architects Studio E on 23 October 2012 included attachments containing details and drawings of a planned cladding system.

Asked why, he told the hearing that people are often copied into emails on big projects in “a sort of scattergun approach”.

He also did not read the architect’s progress report which he was sent on 31 October 2012, and failed to mention plans to cover the tower block in cladding in his first fire safety report published on the same day.

He had no formal training as a fire engineer, despite working as a fire consultant for 25 years.

7 July 2020
Grenfell Tower inquiry: Fire ‘inextricably linked with race’

The inquiry returned this week after a four-month break due to coronavirus.

Leslie Thomas, who is representing survivors and bereaved families, said the 2017 fire was “inextricably linked with race”.

There were 72 victims.

Grenfell Tower floor plans, assumed to be earlier proposals from 2012:
Grenfell Tower Building floor plans
Drawing-952258 – plans courtesy of architects via planning portal

Legal submissions made to the inquiry explain there were 4 visitors to the tower among the dead and also a stillborn baby and then adds: “Of the remaining 67, 57 were from BAME (black, Asian and other ethnic minority) communities.

On Monday, a senior fire safety engineer advised the inquiry he did not think putting cladding on Grenfell Tower would pose any “issues” for safety.

30 & 29 Jan 2020

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Immunity

Grenfell Tower Firms Request Immunity Over Evidence

Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry Part Two

Grenfell Inquiry Expert Witness Controversy post in BD

6 Jun 2018
Grenfell Tower Refurb Architects Attacked

Studio E Architects is among a number of firms accused of attempting to derail the Grenfell Tower Inquiry with a wall of ‘corporate silence’ after it failed to provide an opening statement to the hearing, reports the Architects’ Journal.

Many of the 19 ‘core participant’ firms involved in the £10m refit of the tower on the Lancaster West estate have refused to comment on their work until they have full disclosure of documents, the inquiry heard yesterday.

They face a barrage of criticism from lawyers representing survivors and the bereaved, for failing to set out their position, especially on the key question of compliance.

In a blistering attack on the companies, Stephanie Barwise QC said: ‘these corporates have no desire to assist this inquiry, even though their participation could save lives in the immediate future.’

e-architect approached Studio E Architects for comment shortly after the fire but never received a reply.

18 Apr 2018
Grenfell Tower Hackitt Review

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Grenfell Tower London Building

Grenfell Tower Posts

Grenfell Tower in West London – this is the original and main post about the building fire

Grenfell Tower Cladding – a spin-off post from this page focused on the cladding

Grenfell Tower memorial design team selection

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Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Grenfell Tower

Location: Lancaster West estate, North Kensington, London, England, UK

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