An insurance company has warned about the potential fire risks associated with living walls and how such installations may not be covered under ‘standard’ insurance policies.
As reported by Scottish Construction Now, the drive towards sustainability and net zero has led to a considerable rise in the use of green roofs and living walls in building design. Their rising popularity has led to specialist insurance broker Lycetts calling on construction companies to assess the risks of living walls used on their buildings, including potentially combustible materials.
“With the increasing integration of green roofs and living walls in modern architectural designs, there is a pressing need to address the fire risks linked to the materials used in these on-trend systems.
“While we wholeheartedly support the move towards sustainable buildings that contribute to net zero targets, it’s crucial that safety is not compromised in the process.”
As such, the insurer states that the backing wall, insulation, and supporting structures, which include potting, irrigation and drainage systems, be constructed from “non-combustible materials wherever possible” to mitigate the risk of fire spread.
In addition to these fire risks, the insurer states that consideration should also be made for the impact of severe weather events and potential water leaks, as these can “significantly affect the safety and insurability of the building”.
As Senior Account Executive at Lycetts Lee Musgrove explains: “Unlike conventional roofs, green roofs are considerably heavier due to the additional weight of the support structure, the requisite irrigation systems as well as the plants themselves. Plus, the extra water retention capacity during heavy rainfall must also be factored into architectural considerations.
“Living walls and green roofs offer numerous environmental, aesthetic, and health benefits but the ongoing maintenance and repair can be a challenging and costly process.
“I would urge any construction company involved in a new sustainability project or retrofit that incorporates a living wall to consult their insurer during the planning stages to mitigate the risks and ensure the creation of buildings that are not only stunning and sustainable but also safe.”
As previously reported < https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/industry-guide-for-living-walls-as-cladding-released > by the FPA, a collaborative industry guide for managing the risk of green and living walls as external cladding was created by living wall providers and UK insurers. Published earlier this year under the FPA’s RISCAuthority research scheme, the document offers “practical solutions to reduce business and property risks and assist with insurance provision”.
In particular, it addresses some of the challenges of incorporating green and living walls in a building’s design including the combustibility of planted biomass, the extensive use of plastics, and the lack of guidance on the management of penetrations to prevent fire ingress.
The full document can be accessed here.
Further guidance from Lycetts on the use of living walls in building design can be found here.