Part 6: The refurbishment of Grenfell Tower

Chapter 47: Introduction to Part 6

¶47.1 The refurbishment of Grenfell Tower between 2012 and 2016 lies at the heart of our investigations. We have therefore examined in some detail the course of the project from its original inception to completion. In order to provide the context in which the important decisions were made we begin with a description of the regulations and guidance relating to the construction of external walls of high-rise buildings which ought to have been uppermost in the minds of those making decisions about the nature of the work to be undertaken and the choice of materials.

¶47.2 That is followed by a brief description of the people and organisations involved in the work, which we have included to give the reader an overall understanding of the way in which individuals and organisations that appear frequently in the following chapters fit into the overall picture.

¶47.3 The story of how the refurbishment was planned and the important roles filled is of interest and importance, not only because decisions were made at that stage that affected the subsequent course of the work, but also because it sheds light on the way in which the TMO, as the client for the refurbishment, went about managing its own responsibilities.

¶47.4 Expert advice on fire safety was sought in the form of a fire safety strategy for the building, both in its existing form and following its intended refurbishment, but for reasons we describe, the latter was never completed, leaving a significant gap in the advice that should have been received by the TMO and the design team. A failure to understand the characteristics of the materials proposed for use in the refurbishment turned out to have disastrous consequences.

¶47.5 There follow several chapters in which we describe how the various materials and products used in the work came to be selected. It is a subject that calls for detailed examination because it was the decision to use aluminium composite panels with unmodified polyethylene cores in what was known as "cassette" form as the rainscreen that was primarily responsible for the rapid spread of the fire. Other products made a contribution, however, in particular the Celotex and Kingspan insulation boards, neither of which complied with the guidance on the use of combustible materials on high-rise buildings.

¶47.6 The requirement to obtain building control approval for the refurbishment should have ensured that any errors in design or the choice of materials were identified and put right before the work started. Regrettably, however, that did not happen. Given the importance of building control for the protection of the public, we have examined in some depth the reasons why the system failed to achieve the purpose for which it was designed.

¶47.7 Our investigations have disclosed that errors were made by many of those involved in the refurbishment and at many points during its course. As a result, we have found it convenient to collect our criticisms of each of the organisations principally responsible for the work in a number of individual chapters at the end of this Part.