Non-compliant cladding common

Non-compliant cladding common

An investigation into external building cladding has found some 51 per cent of inspected Melbourne buildings are non-compliant with building regulations.

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) launched the audit following the Lacrosse apartment fire in Docklands in November 2014.

An MFB post incident analysis of the fire found that the use of non-compliant aluminium composite panelling had contributed to the spread of the fire.

According to VBA CEO Prue Digby, the VBA’s audit examined thousands of documents relating to some 170 high-rise residential and public buildings in the Melbourne CBD and surrounding suburbs.

“The non-compliance rate found by the VBA audit was 51 per cent,” Ms Digby said.

“However, working with its regulatory partners, the City of Melbourne and the MFB, it was determined that the buildings’ non-compliance did not pose a risk to the safety of occupants.”

“Only one other building, the Harvest Apartments in Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, required immediate emergency action,” Ms Digby said.

The City of Port Phillip’s municipal building surveyor issued emergency orders to the building and remedial action has been undertaken to comply with the order.

The VBA is now considering further actions including investigation of building practitioners involved in multiple instances of non-compliance indentified through the VBA audit.

The VBA’s investigation into the conduct of building practitioners involved in the construction of Lacrosse also continues.

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