Two more brands of cladding panels flagged

This article is more than 12 months old

Seven buildings, two projects may be affected by use of two brands that do not meet local standards

Dec 09, 2017 06:00 am

Two more brands of aluminium composite panel used as external cladding here are being used improperly, and could pose a fire risk.

This follows an announcement earlier this year that Alubond-branded panels did not comply with the Fire Code, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said yesterday.

Seven buildings and two building projects could be affected in the latest case, said the SCDF in a statement.

The two brands, Bolliya and Bolli-Core FR, do not meet Singapore's most stringent standard - Class "0" - for combustible external cladding here, tests show.

This is similar to what happened with the Alubond- branded cladding found on 34 buildings so far.

Half of them have had their cladding panels removed. For the remaining 17, the process is ongoing.

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Cladding is used to provide insulation and weather resistance to buildings and to improve their appearance.

Aluminium composite panels, or ACP for short, are panels that have a plastic or mineral core sandwiched by two incombustible aluminium skins.

Cladding used on external facades here must first be fire-tested and certified by accredited certification bodies here.

Despite the panels possessing Certificates of Conformity (CoCs) stating they met this standard, "sample tests reveal that they may not be Class '0' on the core", said the SCDF.

Investigations are ongoing to determine how this came about.

SCDF also identified two projects with unrestricted public access found to contain one or both brands of cladding.

They are JTC LaunchPad @ one-north - Blocks 73, 73B, 75, 77, 81 Ayer Rajah Crescent - and Vista Point at 548, Woodlands Drive 44. The latter building has not yet been tested.

The Straits Times understands that both panel models were made in China and were certified by certification body Tuv Sud PSB.

SCDF said all affected building owners will be required to test or remove the cladding, and to inform tenants of the status of their cladding.

A JTC spokesman said it has been working with SCDF to replace any non-compliant panels. Tenants were informed and the replacement works for LaunchPad @ one-north will start this month.

"The safety of the occupants in our buildings is of utmost priority to JTC," it added.

While the buildings have been assessed to be safe for occupancy due to existing fire safety provisions, owners have 60 days to remove non-compliant cladding, as well as to enhance their fire safety practices.