October 2017 – Roofing & Cladding
Before June if you’d asked the proverbial man-in-the-street about “cladding” he’d have struggled to define it. Sadly today, the word has a very specific meaning to most people, and particularly those on the streets of north Kensington.
The tragic fire at Grenfell Tower this summer suddenly focused attention on an activity that had been carrying on largely unnoticed for years: the over-cladding of ageing tower blocks to bring them up to the government’s “Decent Homes” standard.
The jury is still very much out, but it seems likely that several corners may have been cut by local authorities anxious to save money on their refurbishment projects.
The cladding industry now has the monumental task of salvaging its damaged reputation.
Of course, we at The Construction Index know that the cladding industry can achieve great things – and we examine some of these achievements in this issue. The task facing the industry now is to convince everybody else.
David Taylor
Editor
Features