Swedish-led working group to prevent another Grenfell Tower

It is now clear that RISE and SIS will lead a European working group with a mandate from the European Commission to develop standards that can reduce the risk for facade-related fire disasters.

In 2017, 72 Londoners lost their lives in Grenfell Tower, when a fire – which started in a kitchen on the fourth floor – quickly spread through the panel that the facade was clad in, without fire barriers. The 1,700-page investigation was completed last year. As a step towards reducing the risk that a similar accident could ever occur again, the Commission has issued a standardization request.

– The request is based on a new method for evaluating a facade’s fire performance, developed by The Swedish Reasearch Institute, RISE and funded by EU, says Viveka Odlén, project manager at The Swedish Institute for Standards, SIS.

It is now decided that Sweden will lead the newly formed working group that will focus on fire safety in facades; CEN/TC 127 WG 10 Facades. RISE’s researcher Johan Anderson has been appointed the role of convenor.

– We will develop standards to assess and improve fire safety in facades based on the upcoming mandate from the European Commission. The goal is to create harmonized methods and requirements that can be applied throughout Europe, which is crucial to reducing the risk of facade-related fire disasters, says Johan Anderson.

– We look forward to contributing to safer construction throughout the EU, together with experts from all over Europe, says Viveka Odlén.

Don’t hesitate to contact Viveka Odlén (Viveka.odlen@sis.se) if you have any questions or wish to participate.