Grenfell Tower fire — recladding lessons and subsequent national recladding programme (ACM cladding remediation programme)
West London, UK · 2017-ongoing (fire June 14, 2017; renovation 2016; remediation ongoing) · 2016 renovation £8.6 million; Government announced £200 million for ACM cladding remediation in May 2019.
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchUse of highly combustible ACM cladding with polyethylene core, despite known risks and bans in other countries. - Manipulation of testing processes and misrepresentation of test data by manufacturers (Celotex, Arconic). - Failure of certification bodies (BBA, LABC) and oversight (UKAS) to ensure product accuracy. - Government's deregulatory agenda prioritized over fire safety, ignoring warnings and recommendations. - Establishment of the Building Safety Act, Building Safety Regulator (BSR), National Regulator for Construction Products, and New Homes Ombudsman. - Legal protections for leaseholders from historical safety defects.
Key engineering challenges
Rapid fire spread due to combustible ACM cladding with polyethylene core. - Inadequate fire safety procedures and lack of automatic sprinkler systems. - Single central staircase for egress. - Systemic failures in government oversight, code compliance, and product certification.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization (KCTMO) (for tower); MHCLG/building owners (for national recladding programme)
- Lead contractor
- Rydon Construction (2016 renovation)
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- retrofit; recladding
- Scale
- 24-storey; 127 apartments (before fire); 72 deaths
- Disciplines
- Fire safety engineering; structural engineering; building surveying; materials science; regulatory affairs
- Standards & frameworks
- Building Regulations; Approved Document B (fire safety); BS 8414 (cladding system test); Building Safety Act 2022
Sources: https://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/thesis/failures/MKP/failures/failures.wikispaces.com/Grenfell_Tower_Facade_Fire.html; https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/infrastructure-projects/grenfell-tower; https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/grenfell-tower; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-remediation-monthly-data-release-may-2025/building-safety-remediation-monthly-data-release-may-2025; https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/nfpa-journal/2024/11/15/lessons-from-grenfell