UAE: Sharjah Ruler approves Dh100 million to replace fire-risk cladding on 40 buildings

Sharjah: His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, today approved Dh100 million for replacing fire-risk cladding on 40 buildings, it was announced on the Direct Line programme broadcast on Sharjah TV and Radio.

The programme hosted Engineer Khalifa bin Hada Al Suwaidi, director of technical services at Sharjah Municipality, who said the move represents the first phase of the project, which will start this week and last for six months.

In the second phase, 163 more buildings, which are comparatively at low risk, will be covered. All these buildings are above seven floors high.

Al Suwaidi said this is the first such project in the world in which the government is bearing the cost of replacing fire-risk cladding with safer materials.

First-of-its-kind initiative

Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence Authority, told Gulf News: “It is the first-of-its-kind initiative in the world where the government bears the cost of replacing all flammable facades with safer material, while still meeting the aesthetic criteria in order to reduce the threat from fires.

“As many as 203 buildings in the emirate are fitted with banned cladding, and the department in coordination with concerned authorities are working to amend them and replace them with safe materials. These buildings are not safe and we need to amend them.”

The first phase includes 40 buildings which are considered high risk. Work on replacing the cladding in these building will start this week at a cost of Dh100 million and will be completed in six months.

Location of the buildings

These buildings are located in Al Nahda, Al Mamzar, Al Majaz, Al Tauwan and on King Faisal Road.

Officials from Sharjah Civil Defence, Planning and Survey Department and Sharjah Municipality have carried out several field inspections to ensure the highest quality standards and specifications are maintained in all buildings, especially in buildings with aluminium cladding.

Col. Al Naqbi said the work will not affect residents of these building as it will be from outside.

Several criteria were considered while listing the buildings including height of the building, degree of risk, building age, materials used in construction, location, fire precautions etc.

2016 directives

In 2016, orders were issued by Sharjah Civil Defence to prohibit all new buildings over 23 metres in height (above seven floors) from having claddings. All existing buildings that were over 23 metres were told to have their claddings replaced with safer, non-flammable material.

Al Zahra Hospital, Fine Fair Building and Nasser Tower in Sharjah were among the buildings in the emirate which had already responded to previous government calls to replace their cladding with safer material.

Col. Al Naqbi said: “The use of aluminium cladding causes many risks. Insulating layers can ignite and the method of installing the cladding can lead to a rapid spread of fire.”

He stressed that the safety of residents in buildings within the emirate remains the top priority of Sharjah authorities.

“Sharjah Civil Defence is encouraging developers, real estate owners and contractors to adopt safer methods and systems,” he added.

When can cladding be dangerous?

In fire safety terms, a cladding can be dangerous if the cladding in question contains combustible material such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polyurethane (PUR). When such material is exposed to a fire, the flames can spread to the exteriors of the building.

Aluminium panels consist of two layers. The material’s core typically consists of a mineral-based material, polyethylene or both and the material has differing resistances to fire