It is public housing.
It was built in the 70s, but completely redone in 2016. The contractor, Rydon, redid the exterior cladding and insulation:
“Dozens of tower blocks from the 1960s and 1970s have been refurbished with new thermal cladding similar to that used on Grenfell House and a review of some of those installations is already underway, the Guardian understands.
“A construction industry source confirmed that professionals are examining multiple refurbishment projects in the wake of the fire.
“One architect, who has been responsible for several recladding projects but asked not to be named, said that the common rainscreen system used on Grenfell House is designed to include fire-breaks at every floor and around every window.
“He said that if installed correctly, flames should not be able to sweep through the cavities behind the panels because fire retardant breaks are supposed to be installed at each floor and around each window.
“The issue is the cavity between the existing wall and the rainscreen,” he said. “There needs to be firestops at every floor level and around every window.”
“It is not yet known what caused the fire or how it spread. Rydon, the contractor said it “met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards”.
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. Was the rehab done incorrectly, or were the materials not as ‘non-combustible’ as they thought? I suspect they will find incorrect installation, possibly due to hiring unskilled workers with inadequate supervision.
Thanks. Very credible analysis.
I hope it is not more involved than that. However if so, the same number of people are dead and injured. It is a tragic loss.