Yes indeed, Axis’ Fire Risk Management Division has completed and is actively progressing various Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) programmes for many of our clients. Our operations range from initial risk assessment and reporting to remedial and renewal installation works.

These include:

• Manufacture and installation of new third party accredited fire-rated communal and front entrance door sets
• Test evidence provided including burn tests to both sides of the doors
• Front doors provided in FD30s and FD60s to include secure-by-design.
• Product manufacture covered by third party accreditations; FIRAS, BM Trada, IFC
• Third party certification issued for installation of all doorsets to FIRAS, BM Trada or IFC
• Existing fire door upgrades and repairs to existing certified door-sets
• All installers are third party accredited to either FIRAS, BM Trada or IFC
• Passive Fire Stopping
• Installation of fire bats, fire collars, and fire pillows and all forms of penetration sealings
• Installation of fire curtains and ‘Firetherm Intudeck’ systems within loft spaces
• All forms of passive fire stopping to maintain compartmentation
• Third party certifications issued for all passive fire stopping works to FIRAS, BM Trada or IFC
• All materials used are certified
• Fire Detection Systems
• Design and installation of fire detection systems and emergency lighting works

Axis has many years of experience of re-cladding works. We have conducted re-cladding projects on 27 high rise tower blocks, 34 lower rise blocks and made nearly 3,000 home safe.

All the blocks have been fully occupied during our works: our professional Resident Liaison Officers are dedicated to ensuring the wellbeing and peace of mind of residents by keeping them well-informed prior to, during and after the works.

We have a team of highly experienced cladding professionals in our Major Works division and can mobilise quickly when remedial works are demanded.
The team is headed up by Tunji Awe, Commercial Director, who runs all our cladding projects from pre-tender to completion, and Senior Projects Manager Walter Shave who recently lead on a £6.7m project renewing 18,000m² of EWI for Hyde Housing.

We have a long-established secure supply chain with whom we have built up relationships of respect and support. Our cladding experience is readily evidenced in our portfolio of cladding works, client testimonials and the reputations of our re-cladding specialists, plus our recent tender wins and the securement of places on Fire Safety frameworks for cladding projects.

In the UK, as of December 2020, the number of buildings identified with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations stands at 460. There are (by tenure) 156 in the residential social sector, 213 in the private residential sector, 54 student accommodation properties, 28 hotels and 9 public buildings.

The government has provided £600 million for the replacement of ACM cladding systems and a further 1 billion to replace unsafe non-ACM cladding. This brings total funding for remediation to £1.6 billion. Private owners and social sector landlord apply through separate government schemes. Funding is available for the leaseholder contribution of the works for Housing Association landlord and private landlords.

When original or existing cladding fails, it needs to be removed and replaced. Sometimes this will be an urgent priority for landlords, owners and residents. Intrusive investigations and sampling take place which enable the creation of a full design brief and clear scope of works for the re-cladding.

The process of re-cladding sees the removal of external cladding panels along with insulation, subframes and carrier boards underneath. Replacement cladding – insulation; cavity barriers; substructure and cladding – has to be designed to meet not only all technical, aesthetic and cost specifications but also those of the original building’s requirements safety regulations.

Whilst the former, failed cladding is being removed, contractors often install a protective envelope over the entire building. Whilst this can unpopular with residents, it provides insulation and ensures an efficient replacement programme so keeping costs down.

Unless all the relevant elements of the wall are of limited combustibility, or use an external wall system which can be shown to have passed a large-scale system test as specified in British Standard BS8414 developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) the cladding system will be deemed to have failed. It will have to be urgently replaced.

Re-cladding has dominated the building compliance agenda since 14 June 2017, the date of the Grenfell tragedy. Prior to this date, re-cladding projects had rarely featured in Landlords’ planned or capital works programmes or as a high demand service for main contractors.

After the tragedy, the UK government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) established the Building Safety Programme which identified Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems as unsafe and ordered urgent remedial works: the removal of existing unsafe cladding and retrofitting of safe replacement cladding on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings of 18 metres and over. Since that date, they have also ordered the replacement of unsafe non-ACM cladding.

“Residents of high-rise buildings should be safe, and feel safe from the risk of fire, now and in the future” Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, July 2017

There are many benefits to cladding a building. These include increased energy efficiency because of improved thermal insulation and reduced noise both of which are very popular with residents and therefore with landlords and owners.

On older buildings, cladding can be installed to additionally offer improved structural performance, create a more robust structure and to improve the aesthetic appearance of the building. This is called retrofit and improves the durability and longevity of housing stock and is particularly liked by social sector landlords.

Guests, visitors, workers and residents enjoy the same benefits when cladding is applied to public buildings and commercial properties like hotels and offices.

Cladding in construction is the application of one material, wood for example, over another, brick for example, to provide a skin or layer. There is a cavity between the materials so that rain can run down. Cladding is supplied in panels. Cladding panels can be made of many materials including brick, metal wood, concrete or aluminium. The cladding process sees the installation of carrier boards, cladding subframes, insulation and the cladding panels. EWI is also a cladding system – it stands for External Wall Insulation and the main difference is that there is no cavity between the materials.