In the UK, the requirements for health and safety of facades have become much more strict for both new and existing buildings. The big trigger for these stricter requirements is the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017. Due to the materials used in the building's cladding, the fire spread quickly. This new regulation means that all existing buildings over 18 meters must be made fireproof by new materials within a short period of time. A challenge that not only involves time pressure, but also threatens the profit margins in this sector.
A large proportion of the buildings in the UK contain cladding that is made from similar materials like the Grenfell Tower. These materials no longer comply with the new regulations, which means that all facades containing these materials will have to be replaced within a short space of time. Any flammable cladding material on buildings over 18 meters must be replaced by non-combustible materials with A1 or A2 fire rating. Buildings that don’t comply to this rule, will not be covered by insurance.
These requirements create a major challenge for the British facade sector. New materials must be used to make the cladding fire-resistant, but this must not be at the expense of other important issues such as the quality and insulation of these materials. Clients want to get the facade they were expecting before, but for the same price. To achieve the same quality, price, but more fire-resistant materials, the profit margins are in danger for cladding companies as the materials are more expensive.
Because both new and existing buildings must comply with the new regulations, there are many projects that must be carried out in a short period of time. This can be achieved for organisations by using smarter engineering software. Good software contributes to the reduce of engineering costs and prevention of errors, as a result of which the time-to-market of projects can be shortened and more projects can be realised in the same time. ISD Group's HiCAD is one such smart software programme that allows users to realise projects quickly and efficiently.
Wondering how HiCAD can solve those challenges for your organisation and how this 3D CAD software can contribute to a faster and more efficient engineering of projects? Request a free live online demonstration now to see what HiCAD has to offer for you!.