Remediating cladding systems on ‘higher-risk buildings’ has become a key project stream for façade contractors across the UK. Whether these works require replacing the full system or addressing specific crucial elements, such as the passive fire protection, it is vital that project teams are not only well informed of the potential issues, but are supported to ensure effective compartmentation, compliance, and long-term safety. 

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, widespread fire safety assessments of ‘higher risk’ buildings has led to thousands of properties being deemed unsafe and requiring remedial measures. These assessments involve conducting a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), examining the cladding materials, fire test data and the quality of the passive fire protection installed in the façade system. However, progress through these works has been notoriously slow. Whilst 95% of buildings with the same type of cladding used on Grenfell have been remediated, only 30% of identified unsafe buildings in England alone have been remediated— with potentially thousands more yet to even be identified.

To tackle this, on 2^nd December 2024, the government published its Remediation Acceleration Plan to increase the pace of identification and remediation for buildings in England with unsafe cladding, with clear target dates and harsher penalties for responsible parties  who refuse to act. It aims to have all 18m+ (high-rise) buildings with unsafe cladding in a government-funded scheme remediated, and every 11m+ building with unsafe cladding remediated or at least have a date for completion by the end of 2029, otherwise landlords will be subject to legal action. 

At the same time, the government shared its joint plan with developers to speed up their remediation strategies for the buildings they are responsible for. It states that “at least 29 developers, covering over 95% of the buildings which developers are remediating themselves, have committed to more than doubling the rate at which they have been assessing and starting to fix unsafe buildings, meaning work on all their buildings will start by summer 2027.” 

In addition, building owners who fall outside government-funded remediation programs are also increasingly commissioning private fire risk assessments as a precautionary measure.

This all means that the pressure to remediate faster is intensifying and there is a growing demand for façade contractors who can demonstrate their knowledge of passive fire protection and have access to the right products and services. 

Here are some of the key considerations for contractors working on these sensitive projects:

Common issues relating to passive fire protection

The effectiveness of passive fire protection in façades relies on high-quality installations. Issues that are commonly flagged when assessing existing projects that require urgent remediation include:

• Lack of required cavity barriers or firestops

• Incorrect orientation of firestops

• Inadequate or absent brackets

• Absence of positive retention to hold the intumescent on rainscreen open state cavity barriers in position

• Incorrect fixings or tapes

• Gaps between barriers and the inner leaf/outer leaf 

• Products with the wrong fire resistance levels

• Incorrect product application for the size of air gaps

• Poor firestopping around penetrations, e.g. pipes

• Unapproved combinations of passive fire solutions with other systems

These problems could all result in an assembly which underperforms, potentially endangering both lives and property. 

Of course, unless you are a specialist contractor, it can be a challenge to identify the exact nature of the issues, especially where there is an absence of detailed and representative drawings or design documentation from when the building was first constructed. At Siderise, we are increasingly being asked to go to sites, assess existing installations and provide our recommendations on the best approaches for a fire safe remediation. Once a strategy is decided upon, we can then help contracting teams to select the most appropriate products to remediate with, as well as quickly providing the necessary technical advice to help with technical details and drawings, and fire safety compliance information as well as site support to ensure an effective installation this time around.

The Building Safety Act makes clear that the competent use of products is a cornerstone of building safety, whilst the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) created by the Act, mandates competence for tradespeople in the construction industry. It is therefore vital that those undertaking cladding remediation have the right skills and knowledge to carry out the works.

Since installation contractors of passive fire protection systems are considered a ‘specialist trade, as a starting point there are several independent schemes that can include training, third-party certification, and professional qualifications. Whilst voluntary, they are good practice and help to ensure a strong foundation of competency. These often include various assessments of how projects are managed, how installations are carried out, and how they are overseen— in addition to annual audits and random site inspections. Depending on the schemes, they may also allow contractors to log their installations and issue certificates of conformity to the end client.

urers can also deliver product training to assist installers with evidencing and developing installation competence and provide invaluable insight into the specifics of their solutions, as well as how to address any potential build challenges to mitigate the risks of incorrect installation.

Siderise training blends classroom learning with practical learning to help installers of our passive fire protection products build their knowledge and understand how to correctly install these solutions. We are also an ASFP Recognised Training Provider. This verifies that our training offering is technically accurate, professionally presented, and both relevant and sufficient to demonstrate competence in passive fire protection (PFP). As such, these approved courses can also be used within the ASFP Competency Pathway, leading to the ASFP Pass Mark. Siderise are also a CITB Accredited Training organisation and will be developing training offers to meet with the National Occupational Standards under development 

Learn more about our product training. 

It is inescapable that cladding remediation projects will be a priority for the UK construction sector for a long time to come. To ensure the long-term safety of these buildings, contractors must engage in partnerships with passive fire protection manufacturers who provide more than just products. Specialist end-to-end technical support must include custom solutions for complex building designs, hands-on training, and rigorous inspection services.

Get in touch today to discuss how Siderise can support your remediation project requirements projects@siderise.com

Image courtesy of Thermoclad

Working in the construction product industry has always brought endless opportunities for innovation, collaboration and development and, at Siderise, we’ve continually worked to put ourselves at the cutting edge of what’s new and what’s useful for our customers. However, in 2024, we have made significant strides in our mission to “Go Beyond, contributing to safer buildings.” Here are twelve of our most notable highlights from the last twelve months: 

In July, we announced that our Innovation Centre at our Maesteg headquarters achieved UKAS ISO 17025 accreditation, validating that it operates with the highest technical competency and generates reliable results. We constructed the Innovation Centre to meet the increasing demand for testing and data for projects and product development and address a shortfall in available furnace time. From the outset, we knew we wanted to obtain UKAS accreditation to ensure we were operating it correctly to the international standard of competency. Gaining the accreditation was a rigorous process, with inspections of our Quality Management processes and records, and testing and training processes. 

Learn more about our UKAS journey in our Q&A with our Director of Testing, Chris Mort. 

We were proud to be the first ASFP (Association for Specialist Fire Protection) Recognised Provider, independently verifying that our training offering is technically accurate, professionally presented, and both relevant and sufficient to demonstrate competence in passive fire protection. The new training recognition service provides independent third-party evaluation of training courses specific to passive fire protection (PFP). Once companies have demonstrated their approach to training quality and technical capability, their application is reviewed by an independent panel. All providers that meet this quality benchmark gain recognition from ASFP for training delivery and will be subject to ongoing oversight and quality monitoring. This ensures the industry has access to high quality training that is easily identifiable.  

Read the full press release. 

At Siderise, we are driven by a bold mission: to go beyond, contributing to safer buildings. In addition to creating high quality products that the market can rely on, a key part of this is protecting the environment and communities around us. In October, we released our first annual Sustainability Report. This looks in detail at each of our four ESG strategy pillars— Planet, People, Product, and Policy— and outlines clear benchmarks in these crucial areas, identifying short and medium-term priorities that ensure business operations and ambitions align with recognised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Explore the report on our ESG hub. 

In March, our new £2.1m high-speed automated production line went live — allowing us to increase production of our unique Lamella insulation by over 100%. Additionally, in response to recommendations of the Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime, we built a £200,000 state-of-the-art Quality Control Lab to ensure our products offer outstanding performance. This not only facilitates off-the-line fire testing, but also comprehensive testing of raw materials before production. 

To accommodate our growing headcount, we’ve also developed the office space at our Maesteg headquarters, including a £200,000 investment in creating new communal areas and installing electric vehicle charging points which are available free of charge to all visitors and employees. 

We have continued to be actively involved in various industry associations and technical committees, and our experts have delivered various presentations at key sector events across the globe such as Zak World of Facades. Notably, CEO Adam Turk was announced as the Chair of the Construction Products Association (CPA) in April. With decades of experience across the construction industry, and having supported the CPA for over fifteen years, Adam is well placed to provide both leadership and insight to the CPA as it continues to represent and champion construction product manufacturers and suppliers in the UK. 

Learn more about Adam’s vision for his chairmanship in the CPA’s press release. 

We also launched our new website this year! In addition to offering an enhanced user experience on both desktop and mobile, the site is also intended to be a single source of truth  for up-to-date product and system information. This is supported by robust test data, as well as dynamic features such as explorable 360° construction build-up renders, free interactive educational modules on key fire safety and acoustic topics with sign up options for more in-depth training. Linked to this is our investment in developing our specification tools to create comprehensive Specification Packs. For example, we are an NBS Source Partner and an NBS Chorus Specification Writing Partner. We are also in the process of developing our BIM models in light of feedback from our customers.  

There are several different types of cavity barrier, firestop and perimeter seal solutions on the market developed for different façade types. These include curtain walling, rainscreen and composite cladding systems, precast concrete façades, and masonry walls. In all applications, it is vital that the chosen solution not only delivers the required fire resistance but also maintains the right level of compressibility and fit within the given void width for the lifetime of the system, even when subjected to building movement. Therefore, the durability and orientation of the stone wool fibres within the product is a key element in this functional performance. 

Standard passive fire protection products typically use non-combustible stone wool insulation with a horizontal fibre orientation. This makes the products stable but can equally make them resistant to lateral compression (across their width). 

Continual exposure to movement and compression can result in breakdown of the bonding between the fibres, essentially ‘crushing’ them. This means that the product will not recover / flex in line with how the façade, inner leaf or floor slab is moving, which can result in a gap forming between the product and the façade over time, potentially causing the compartmentation provided by the cavity barrier, firestop or perimeter seal to fail prematurely. 

In curtain wall applications, they also often require a ‘wet’ install, where installers cut and compress the insulation material onsite before sealing it with a sprayed-on compound. Once applied and cured, the only way to truly check the right compression has been achieved is through post-installation destructive testing.  

Due to its resilient nature and practicality on site, Lamella now features in many of our passive fire protection and acoustic product ranges and has been used on projects around the world. Nonetheless, whichever solution is chosen, it is always important to ensure that the products have been thoroughly tested to standards relevant to their intended application and can demonstrate their suitability for that application. 

Explore our passive fire protection products or check out our project case studies to learn more.  

2025 marks 200 years since the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway— the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives— putting the UK on the map for rail innovation. Since then, our railways have become a key part of everyday life, helping people and goods move across the country with ease. With this has come a huge investment in UK rolling stock capability, with some of the world’s biggest manufacturers setting up facilities in strategic locations.  

However, there are multiple challenges facing the industry, from unstable procurement patterns to how to attract more passengers, to ensuring that our railways are ready to meet national decarbonisation goals. In this Insights piece, we explore some of the key trends and priorities for rolling stock manufacturers in the months ahead, and how our Noise Control division can support them.  

Ensuring the safety of passengers and staff will always be the utmost priority for any rolling stock manufacturer. In addition to ensuring the correct assembly and checking procedures are in place, a key part of this is making sure the products and materials used are code compliant and properly tested.  

This is something which we are extremely passionate about at Siderise, and our testing capabilities have consistently set us apart from the competition. We have the ability to undertake small-scale acoustic and thermal testing in-house in our acoustics division and quality laboratory respectively. Our £1m Innovation Centre opened in Maesteg in 2023. This features a specialist furnace which allows our engineers to carry out fire-resistance testing in-house, bringing a huge benefit to our passive fire protection range in terms of research, development and quality control. We have also built strong relationships with external laboratories which can carry out larger-scale tests on materials where necessary.  

In addition to working to extend its in-house testing capabilities, we are also always actively seeking to invest in third party accreditation. For example, one of our clients referenced the IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) certification in their supplier onboarding process, so we have invested in proactively getting that accreditation in place before their production line comes on stream in the UK. Based on aerospace and automotive quality standards, IRIS Certification is a rigorous means of evaluating suppliers to the rail industry.  To achieve it, organisations must demonstrate that they comply with ISO/TS 22163:2017 – and a range of other rules and procedures.  

As we move to a more sustainable way of life, we are seeing more hybrid drive systems coming to the market which offer flexibility and the option to change to electric/battery or hydrogen power in urban areas. We are also seeing an increase in the number of smaller regional train- and tramlines being revived as more and more cities look to encourage more people to use public transport instead of their cars.  

From a product supplier perspective, this means we must ensure that we have solutions for all kinds of rolling stock, and they can deliver the comfort and reliability necessary. For instance, having the right insulation specification is not only crucial to keeping the interior at a desired temperature, but also helps to reduce energy consumption— a key consideration especially for the new battery powered trains. However, space is also often an important factor in cabin design.  In these situations, it is important to ensure that the insulation material delivers a high enough thermal efficiency without compromising the thickness of the material and therefore negatively impacting on the available internal space for passengers. That’s why we offer a range of insulation options, with varying performance, thicknesses and weights.  

Suppliers also need to be ready to keep up with evolving expectations as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) responsibilities gain greater attention in the rail sector. To demonstrate our commitment to ESG, we recently gained a silver EcoVadis rating with a score falling within the top five per cent globally. Ultimately, we aim to achieve a gold rating.  You can learn more about our benchmarks and measures to integrate sustainable practice in our first Sustainability Report.  

Siderise noise control treatments, HVAC solutions, and thermal insulation products have been keeping passengers safe and comfortable for over 25 years. In addition to providing our own range of products, which have been developed and tested over the years, we also have the capabilities to work with any client’s material specification to create bespoke solutions that meet their exacting needs. We can even look to ensure local sourcing of specialist materials where required, helping to save time and money for our customers.  

But we don’t just see our role as a supplier of products. Siderise Group is passionate about supporting our customers— no matter the sector— with a suite of useful and accessible technical services. Seven people within our team are members of the Institute of Acoustics, and the business has extensive experience and a deep knowledge of passive fire protection.  

Interested in learning more? Contact our dedicated acoustics team. 

sales.sspl@siderise.com 

01473 827695 

In our last two Insights pieces, we have explored the requirements of Gateway 2 and how manufacturers of safety-critical building products can provide support to project teams beyond the necessity of accurate product information. For instance, sharing their knowledge and experience to give specifiers a clear sense of ‘why’ a fire compartmentation product is suitable for the designated application and the ability to justify their decisions. However, passing through Gateway 2 is only the beginning.  

Whilst Gateway 2 is designed to ensure that every detail of the construction is thoroughly planned and aligns with building regulations before any building work begins. However, to turn these safety-first plans into a reality, it is important that contracting teams have the support and resources necessary to both check and document that their installations are accurate and compliant with the specified designs and regulatory requirements, therefore allowing them to demonstrate a clear progression from Gateway 2 to completion at Gateway 3.  

Like Gateway 2, Gateway 3 is another ‘hold point’ that occurs at the end of a project, once the construction works are complete. It requires the client, principal designer, and principal contractor to submit another application to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for a completion certificate. This application must demonstrate, with evidence, that the completed work reflects the approved plans and is therefore compliant with regulatory requirements, and that the construction has been carried out to a high standard by competent tradespersons — including signed compliance declarations from the principal designer and principal contractor confirming that they have fulfilled their duties under Part 2A of the Building Regulations.  

Guidance documents such as ‘A Guide to Managing Safety-Critical Elements in Building Construction’, developed as a joint initiative between the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) can be useful here.  This Guide not only sets out a structured approach to the design, construction, and inspection of elements that specifically include firestopping and cavity barriers, but also gives examples of how to document evidence of compliance. These can include details of: 

• Benchmark constructions, samples, or mock-ups. 

• Toolbox talks, method statements and sequencing. 

• A robust log of detailed information, incorporating any manufacturer guidance, advice, and technical communications history that reflects any onsite changes, 

• Confirmation that cavity barrier and firestop installation operatives have undertaken appropriate product and application specific training. 

• Site works inspection reports with photographs of products to demonstrate that they have been correct installed before they are ‘closed in’. 

The BSR then assesses the application and can carry out final inspections of the works. Once a project has passed through Gateway 3, it can then be registered with the BSR, the completion certificate issued, and the building deemed ready for occupation.  

In addition to the support we offer for Gateway 2 applications (as explained in our earlier Insights’ pieces on the requirements and common queries), we offer a free inspection service to verify if Siderise products are installed in accordance with our installation guidance to ensure that they will perform as expected in the event of a fire. These inspections can form an integral part of the contractor’s overarching inspection plans and help them to demonstrate due diligence.  

Our site inspections can be carried out either in-person, with periodic visits and support from our trained and experienced site services engineers or via the Siderise Inspection App that offers a straightforward photographic recording process 

This digital form of inspection is suitable for checking the installation quality of our standard passive fire protection and acoustic systems as the programme progresses. It allows users to capture images as each area / element is being installed and to update the data input fields using their smartphone or tablet. The app then immediately turns this into a comprehensive, easy-to-understand report which can be reviewed offsite by a technical team to confirm the installation meets recommendations and to quickly identify if any areas need remedial actions before the works progress further preventing errors from being built in and helping to save time and money,  whilst ensuring a consistently accurate installation across the project. 

Read our other Gateway 2 blog here: Supporting Gateway 2 applications and beyond – answering common queries | Siderise