Scotland’s first high-rise building has seen its combustible cladding replaced as part of the Scottish government’s cladding remediation scheme
Aurora Apartments, a nine-storey building in Aberdeen, has completed its remediation work to remove dangerous cladding as part of a pilot scheme set up by the Scottish government following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
As reported by the Fire Industry Association, the building was identified as one of a number of ‘high priority’ buildings requiring remediation work under the government’s Single Building Assessment (SBA) scheme.
As part of the remedial work, combustible wall cladding and insulation were removed and replaced with non-combustible alternatives. According to the Herald Scotland, an “extensive” survey of the building was carried out, including using a drone for laser scanning.
The project was managed and overseen by Diamond & Company (Scotland) Ltd Chartered Building Surveyors and Chartered Fire Engineers, with North East Contracts in Arbroath carrying out the remedial work. The “lengthy process” was started in 2018. Managing Director for Diamond & Company, Phil Diamond 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 new non-combustible cladding is the highest standard on the market, stopping any fire from spreading over the outside of the building. If there was a serious fire in one of the flats it would not be able to spread over the outside of the building because the cladding is non-combustible, meaning there is no energy for the fire to feed off.
“It was an extremely challenging project, which involved opening up the building and removing the timber support frame and other combustible materials. We used a drone with laser scanning to survey the building, and surrounding area, to help us produce detailed architectural drawings to plan the work required to make the block of flats safer.
“We are now moving ahead with similar projects across Scotland and the rest of the UK and look forward to the completion of other remediation works in the coming years.”
North East Contracts added that the project is the “first fully funded residential high-rise block of flats in Scotland to have its cladding replaced”.
“While conducting the works the building was fully occupied, some by owners, others tenants and holiday homes covering 22 apartments. We had a site manager on the ground who was always contactable. Keeping the residents informed and maintaining a good relationship with the residents was key to the success of the project,” the company explained.
In total, the government has identified 105 buildings in Scotland that require cladding remediation, with STV News adding that 25 buildings are classed as a ‘high priority’.
In February 2024, a Holyrood report revealed that remediation work had started on only one building, while another had mitigation work done, with the committee highlighting “their frustration with what they see as the slow rate of progress in Scotland”.
Commenting on the completion of works at Aurora, Scotland’s Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan said it was a “very important moment for owners and residents”.
“I was pleased to visit Aurora Apartments earlier this month to meet with those involved. The Scottish Government has provided £600,000 in 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,” he added.
Further information about the Scottish government’s Cladding Remediation Programme can be found here.
(Photograph by North East Contracts)