#cladding-crisis

#cladding-crisis

A modular home provider has seen an increase of over 400pc in enquiries since it was revealed the Government intends to further relax restrictions around their use.

"What's the consequences if we allow 800 residents to be in a severe fire with no evacuation routes? We're being asked to choose between two really bad options."

"The landlord did not pay attention to this house whatsoever. We didn't even know we had a landlord."

Firefighters are trying to contain a fire on the roof of a building in downtown Toronto after a possible explosion, with thick black smoke billowing from the site.

The Scottish fire and rescue service confirmed that, while standard city-based fire engines were on the scene within minutes of the first 999 call, the nearest available high-reach appliance which adds vital additional capacity to tackle a large blaze came from Coatbridge, an 11-mile (18km), 26-minute drive away in light traffic.

"I just don't know what more they want from us. We've lost everything. All my clothes, all our belongings from the last 20 years, are currently in a container somewhere. Our home has been torn down. We've been punished enough."

To see the entire building completely consumed in an inferno was truly shocking. I think it's just raised serious questions about the proximity of critical national infrastructure to these vape shops. I think there are significant concerns that essentially Scotland's busiest station can be wiped out by this kind of incident.

When the Woolworth Building was constructed in 1910, owner Frank Woolworth and architect Cass Gilbert wanted to make the structure fireproof. With the recent tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the memory of the Great Fire of New York City in 1835 in mind, every precaution was taken to ensure that the "Cathedral of Commerce" would not succumb to a similar fate.

A spokesperson for the company said that the incident involved the jib of a tower crane becoming detached from its fixing. The site will remain closed until the incident is fully investigated, the company added. The area will be cleared and deemed safe before construction can be resumed.

Timber cladding has become a defining feature of contemporary construction across the UK. Once associated mainly with rural housing and architectural one-offs, it is now widely used across residential developments, commercial buildings, education projects, and urban regeneration schemes. Its appeal is often described in visual terms, but appearance alone does not explain its continued growth. Timber offers flexibility in design, a lower embodied carbon profile than many alternatives, and the ability to integrate effectively within modern wall systems when specified correctly.

Developers LaSalle Investment Management, Lipton Rogers and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) say they have listened to feedback and made "substantial" revisions to the 1 Silk Street plan, and have reduced the western section of the block by three storeys. The original plans for the 1980s former Linklaters building involved demolishing it and building a block of two towers, each standing 20 storeys above the ground floor.

Work to fix hospitals built using unsafe concrete will not be completed in time to meet the government's target, a new report has warned. Seven hospitals built using Raac, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, were prioritised for remedial work last year, with the government setting a deadline of 2030. The new buildings are now expected to open in 2032 and 2033 - but some are already facing pressure to meet the revised timetable, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

In January 2022, Henry Construction was awarded a 40 million contract by the local authority to deliver 105 Passivhaus-standard new homes across these six sites all designed by Bell Phillips and work started on the schemes later that year. The Ealing Council building Nearly 18 months later in June 2023, the builder went into administration, leaving some buildings unfinished, though close to completion. At the time, the council said it was committed to completing all of the homes a position which has since changed.

The fire has now been brought under control by firefighters but crews remain on scene to fully extinguish the fire and to dampen down. No one has been reported injured. People in the area were advised to keep their windows and doors closed at the height of the fire due to smoke travelling from the incident. A spokesperson for LFB said: Battersea Park Road remains closed between the junctions of Queenstown Road and Havelock Terrace.

If I could move, I would to a place without a heat network. But I can't while this debt is hanging over me, says Anja Georgiou. The mother lives with her family in a rented flat in the River Gardens development in Greenwich in south-east London where, three years ago, residents were shocked to be presented with a surprise 200,000 bill for heating and hot water.