Saturday, Sep 11, 2010
New-build timber framed flats "in danger of total collapse"
BBC: Firefighters tackle Basingstoke construction site fire
The building, 100 metres (328ft) by 200 (656ft), was well alight when crews arrived shortly before 1830 on Friday. The Chief Fire Officer stated; "When these buildings catch fire the actual structure burns. It often leads to total collapse and that puts the safety of our firefighters at risk." I have always wondered about this type of construction and their longevity and fire safety especially as they get older rather than when they are being actually built.
Posted by enuii @ 09:41 AM (1320 views) Add Comment
13 Comments
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1. No_way said...
Wow, talk about cheapskate construction!!
Even in Bulgaria, the cheapo holiday apartment blocks that were being thrown up everywhere were concrete framed.
Is timber really the best material to use in a damp, wet country like England?
And does it show on the survey that it was built by Micket Mouse when/if the flats are sold?
2. cyril said...
Maybe it would have had a sprinkler system installed if it was finished? I don't think I'd fancy living on the 10th floor of a wooden building though.
3. Redbullish said...
That is if the fire makes it past the detection systems including people who would be living there, the sprinkler system as previous poster said and the very onerous fire protection once it was completed!
whats the pay for a chief these days?
4. Jayk said...
Building multi-storey for commercial use? You'll need to use reinforced concrete. Building multi-storey for residential use? Highly-flammable soft pine will be just fine.
Welcome to the UK construction regulations and industry. I used to live in a four-storey block of eight flats, built in 2002/3. All wood, save for a single skin of red brick on the outside to keep out the wind and rain (but not the damp and ensuing mould). No sprinklers. No emergency lighting. No fire escape. Just a single smoke alarm in the enclosed hallway of each unit. Perfectly safe and illegal to live in apparently, but totally illegal for commercial uses.....
5. uncle tom said...
"I have always wondered about this type of construction and their longevity and fire safety especially as they get older rather than when they are being actually built"
Enuii - I agree. I've long had an interest in construction methodology, and have always been uneasy about the wisdom of this type of construction.
The theories behind 'eco friendly' and 'carbon neutral' construction are all badly flawed. Better, I believe, to construct a robust core structure, with a near indefinite life expectancy; that is designed to be periodically renovated.
6. mark wadsworth said...
A carpenter friend of mine worked on such buildings and said that not in a million years would he consider living in one.
7. Scooters said...
I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to allow timber framed flats. What goes through their minds? Build the most intensive form of housing using the most inflammable materials? Perhaps they could work some magnesium or napalm into the build as well and not bother putting an earth wire in the electrics.
8. mrmickey said...
Had the same problem in Taunton with this type of build going up like a Roman candle.
9. str 2007 said...
A pity we're spending money on land when it should be being spent on the quality of the property on the land. At least we'd then be spending the money on human productivity.
10. enuii said...
Talking to a friend of mine who runs a business from a log cabin style timber building he can only get insurance from 3 insurers and if he puts a deep fat fryer in his kitchen that drops to 1. I cannot see how this type of building made from timber, insulation, bin bags, foil and plasterboard is any different to a post ww2 pre-fab which in many cases were probably better built! I cannot see these buildings being sustainable over anything more than 30-40 years and being a nightmare to maintain one their initial newness wears off.
11. Essexman said...
This seems to be a growing cause for concern
Here is the London Fire Brigade report on the Colindale fire in 2007: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/housing-management/timber-frame-homes-are-greater-fire-risk/6511325.article
Doubts this July on BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10645700 to which the UK Timber Frame Association have responded: http://www.uktfa.com/#/latest-news/4538897729
And a report 2 weeks ago from Government: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/housing-management/timber-frame-homes-are-greater-fire-risk/6511325.article
12. Paul Nash said...
Having read some of the comments left on this blog I am saddened by the lack of knowledge that many people seem to posses when it comes to timber frame, constructed correctly timber frame houses and flats will perform just as well as any other construction method when it comes to fire and longevity. We never seem to hear stories about fires on building sites when timber frame is not involved (of which there are many)
Will people please get off their high horses when it comes to commenting on a subject they know very little or nothing about....
13. Ironclaret said...
Well said Paul Nash. There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding timber frame construction.