A block of flats in Aberdeen is the first in Scotland to have dangerous cladding removed and replaced as part of a government pilot scheme set up following the Grenfell tragedy.
Extensive construction work was carried out on the nine-storey The Aurora Apartments building on Polmuir Road to ensure it meets strict fire regulations in the wake of the fire at Grenfell Tower in London.
The apartments were among several ‘high priority’ buildings in Scotland to be identified in the Scottish Government’s pilot programme on cladding remediation as part of the Single Building Assessment.
An extensive survey of the building, which included laser scanning with a drone, was carried out followed by substantial construction works costing £600,000.
Existing wall cladding and insulation materials, both of which were combustible, were removed and replaced with fire safe non-combustible products to eliminate the risk of fire spreading over the outside of the building.
The work was funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Diamond & Company (Scotland) Ltd Chartered Building Surveyors and Chartered Fire Engineers.
Phil Diamond, Managing Director, said: “The Grenfell fire exposed a systemic failure in all aspects of cladding installation in buildings throughout the UK.
“The completion of the work on the Aurora apartments in Aberdeen now provides an industry blueprint on how to make similar high-rise buildings much less vulnerable in the event of a fire. The residents in the Aurora apartments should sleep soundly at night now, knowing their building is much safer."
Housing Minister Paul McLennan added: “This is a very important moment for owners and residents and I was pleased to visit Aurora Apartments earlier this month to meet with those involved. The Scottish Government has provided £600,000 funding for the complex and innovative work at this building.
“The remedial work that has been carried out at this site builds on the recent passage of the Cladding Remediation Act which will support our efforts to make buildings safer and to safeguard homeowners and residents across Scotland.”
The construction work was carried out by North East Contracts in Arbroath.