ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with cladding problems. Like the roof it is a conspicuous part of a building’s exterior and is highly exposed to many of the degradation mechanisms highlighted earlier.
Scarcely a week goes by without accounts in the technical press, and in the columns of local newspapers, of expensive repairs needed to cladding on high-rise buildings. It is not uncommon for costs exceeding £1 million to be quoted as the sum needed to rectify faults on one high-rise building: the total national cost must be very high. Many such buildings are now surrounded by scaffolding and safety net-
ting to prevent pieces of cladding, thought likely to break off, from falling to the ground, possibly injuring pedestrians. Even a kilo or so of brick or concrete falling from 10 storeys may cause more than alarm and despondency – and some panels weigh well over a tonne. Cladding defects are caused by differential movement between the
cladding and its background; by failure to allow for the inaccuracies inherent in construction; by inadequacy of the fixing and jointing methods used; and by premature failure of sealants.
