Cladding Inspections

As part of the ongoing changes to the fire safety guidance in the UK, there have been numerous advice notes and methodologies proposed to help assess new and existing buildings to determine if the cladding and external wall construction is considered to be safe and compliant.

In January 2020 the Ministry for Housing Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) produced a new advice note “Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings”. This advice document provides guidance on reviewing and assessing the safety of external wall systems and allows owners and occupiers of multi-storey residential buildings a way to determine if any remediation works are required to improve the safety of the building.

One of the recommended routes to assess a residential building is the “Form EWS1: External Wall Fire Review” method produced by the Building Societies Association (BSA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Our team in the UK specialises in reviewing the external wall construction and in conducting an assessment against BS EN 13501-1, undertaking cladding investigations, risk assessment and providing fire and façade consultancy services during remediation and recladding works.