The reason that architects use non-combustible cladding is that nobody wants any building to go up in flames. We have all watched buildings on fire, hopefully only on the news, when the flames have leapt from one storey to another, so quickly and in such a devastating manner, knowing that there is nothing to be done about it. In the old days, although they are not so old, building rules and regulations were far less stringent than they are today. In the old days, a building went up and nobody really cared about which materials were used. Well, people did care but nobody checked to make sure the right materials were used. Today the rules are much stricter. Cladding must be non-combustible. This does not mean there will not be a fire, as fires can happen for a number of reasons, but it does mean the fire cannot spread as easily or quickly.
Buildings and fires
Nobody likes talking about fires and architectural cladding has to take on the business. While we know a fire can start any which way, an accident, a broken heating system, a stove left on in the kitchen, anything, it is about what happens next. The fire starts. If nobody is around to quickly put it out, the fire spreads. It can become devastating quickly and there are too many stories about people literally watching their home burn down. There are also devastating stories about firefighters losing their lives while trying to save people from the twentieth floor of a hotel, or the people being rescued by helicopter or brave firefighters on long ladders. Whatever the stories are, the bottom line is that buildings need to follow guidelines for safety. A building development must make use of non-combustible cladding to try and mitigate the possibility of the spread of fire.
