Cladding Firm ‘In The Know’ About ‘Dangerous’ Material Used On Grenfell

Senior staff at the firm which manufactured the cladding panels used on Grenfell Tower admitted to being “in the know” about the risk in internal emails which also branded discussion of their fire performance “VERY CONFIDENTIAL!!!!!”, the inquiry has heard. Shocking internal emails discussed by lawyers representing victims of the fire and Rydon, the main contractor on the tower’s refurbishment, appear to show that Arconic was aware of the perils of its Reynobond PE product long before the fire. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/cladding-firm-in-the-know-about-dangerous-material-used-on-grenfell-emails-show-68511?utm_source=Ocean%20Media%20Group&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11963928_IH-DAILY-10-11-2020-GR&dm_i=1HH2,74FFC,8CKJV9,ST641,1 

‘Shockingly Poor Workmanship’ Went ‘Unchecked’ In Grenfell Cladding System

Rydon’s project manager for the Grenfell Tower refurbishment was unable to explain the presence of “shockingly poor workmanship” of cavity barriers in the cladding system installed on the building at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Simon O’Connor, who was the onsite project manager for lead contractor Rydon, was shown images of cavity barriers that failed to close the gap between the cladding panels installed on the building and the insulation. Post-fire inspections have shown that cavity barriers – installed to stop fire ripping through the gap – were fitted upside down, vertically instead of horizontally, and were cut to the wrong size. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/shockingly-poor-workmanship-went-unchecked-in-grenfell-cladding-system-inquiry-hears-67269?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Rydon Contract Manager Used ‘Essex Boy Patter’ To Push Cheaper Cladding Option For Grenfell

The firm, which was revealed to have hidden the true size of potential savings on cladding to boost its own profit margin, wanted to use a cheaper “face-fixed” system rather than panels which had been cut into cassettes. But planners at Kensington and Chelsea Council favoured the cassette system because they believed it gave a smoother and more aesthetically pleasing look. “I have a gut feeling that KCTMO may go [for] the cassette fixed cladding option due to the perceived cladding risk,” wrote contract manager Simon Lawrence in an internal Rydon email. “I’m giving it my hardest sales pitch as we speak. Come on the Essex boy patter!” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/rydon-contract-manager-used-essex-boy-patter-to-push-cheaper-cladding-option-for-grenfell-67243?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Grenfell Firm Took Some Of Cladding Savings For Itself

The main contractor on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment secretly “pocketed” £126,000 while switching the cladding to cheaper, more combustible materials, the inquiry into the deadly fire at the building has heard. Rydon was bidding for the project in March 2014 when it told the landlord of the council block that it could save £293,368 by switching from the originally specified zinc cladding to plastic-filled aluminium panels, which the inquiry has heard had “significantly worse” fire performance. Rydon knew that the actual saving from the switch would be £419,627, but kept this from the client and “took some of the savings for themselves”. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/20/grenfell-firm-rydon-promised-five-times-to-appoint-fire-safety-advisers-inquiry-told

Grenfell Contractor Rydon ‘Should Not Bid For Public Work’ Says Jenrick

The lead contractor for the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower “should not bid for further work” until investigations into the fire have completed, the housing secretary has said. Survivors and bereaved family members have reacted with anger to the news that Rydon has been included on a government framework for high-rise buildings. Now housing secretary Robert Jenrick has weighed into the row, posting a tweet which said the company should refrain from bidding for work under the framework “until we know the truth”. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/grenfell-contractor-rydon-should-not-bid-for-public-work-says-jenrick-64076