In order to lessen the possibility of fires spreading quickly through tower facades, the Sharjah government is footing an ambitious Dh100 million project to replace the mostly aluminum cladding on older buildings.
Although 203 buildings have been identified with the problematic safety hazard, the first phase will cover 40 residential and commercial towers at high risk, with nod from Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, the Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Contractors have been appointed and will take six months. Improvement work on the remaining 163 buildings will be done in the next stage.
According to Sharjah Municipality Director of Technical Services Engineer Khalifa Al Suwaidi, the project would use non-combustible material to replace combustible aluminum cladding.
In Sharjah, the use of aluminum facades, which can quickly spread a fire, was forbidden for new tower construction in 2016.
Aluminium composite-panel cladding was prohibited in the Emirates under the country’s Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice, which was introduced in January 2017. Further updates came into effect the following year.
New buildings must be fitted with advanced non-combustible cladding that is able to stop the spread of flames and is more durable under intense heat.
It is not mandatory for buildings built before the new legislation was introduced. A high-rise Sharjah tower that was gutted in May 2020 was covered with cladding that is banned on newer buildings.
Abbco Tower was built in 2005 with an external material that was widely used in the Emirates until it was prohibited in 2017. “The fire spread faster because of the cladding,” Col Sami Al Naqbi, head of Sharjah Civil Defence, said at the time. Since the building is somewhat old, it was installed with the cladding before it was banned.”
Speaking at a fire safety conference in Dubai in January, specialists said there was a big demand on new building projects for solid aluminum panels, due to their durability and aesthetics.
