Agreed, Alastair. It mystified me to learn this type of cladding was banned in the states and elsewhere yet imported here. It's shortcomings didn't change only the jurisdiction and authorities in control did. That's on the government and, to me, points to lack of due diligence. I also believe it comes down to money as it may have been a cheaper option or substituted during the course of construction but that is only based on my knowledge of how construction progresses from paper to reality. I don't know the specifics. But with any building control public or private the owner/developer is relying upon professional advice which is based upon building codes and regulations developed and approved by the government. Really no different than a kitchen extension gone awry. To Steve, no, this isn't about owners' insurance. Unlike a home where you insure the entirety of the structure, in these buildings you own up to somewhere in the middle or edge of the wall. No owner of these units had anything to do with how that exterior wall was specified or built. They most likely pay a maintenance fee each month for general building costs but, again, this is not on them to know or fix. Think of it this way: you and your neighbors access water from the main running under your street. Those on the south side suddenly have a major problem which requires a massive repair/replacement project. Their insurance and even less so yours are supposed to cover the cost of that infrastructure upgrade?These people are innocent and not at all culpable which the owners' insurance position suggests. Again I agree with Adrian this is part of the social contract especially if some of these folks are in social housing (I might be dead wrong on that but that's my understanding of some of them) as well as people like Krysia's kids. No private buyer would ever know how a skyscraper gets built. But I suspect in the future when buying a flat in a building such as this the surveying process will require assessment of the building exterior.
David Lesniak ● 2078d