Frequently Ask Question

• Aluminium Composite Panelling (ACP) was invented in the mid-1960s. Commercial manufacture of one of the earliest products developed began later that same decade, a patent for which was granted in the 1970s. Upon its expiry in the early 1990s, numerous companies around the world began producing variants of their own. This surge in competition gave rise to unprecedented levels of its use in a diverse range of building applications.

• ACPs are categorised by their ‘sandwich’ like assembly in which aluminium sheeting is bonded to a core material. The core often comprises a polymer such as polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PU) or expanded polystyrene (EPS), all of which have notoriously low melt and ignition temperatures.

• To counter this attribute, manufacturers would add inert mineral fillers to these polymer cores in order to introduce a degree of fire resistance to their products. It is important to note that ACPs classified as fire retardant (FR) are still technically regarded as combustible.

• In an industry response to the dangers associated with polymer based ACP cores, alternative products were developed using aluminium honeycomb cores, so as to preserve their lightweight characteristics. While these were initially understood to be non-combustible, on account of their almost entirely aluminium composition, one such product failed a significant UK test protocol, known as BS-8414, in 2018 having passed it the year before.

• This has since raised doubts over the viability and suitability of similar products being used for the purposes of cladding replacement on Combustible Facade Cladding Remediation Projects.

• Proactive Facade offers ACP sample collection and testing, for the purposes of establishing which kind of ACP you might have on your building, as part of our Combustible Façade Cladding Audit and Building Fire Safety Risk Assessment (BFSRA) service packages.

• The dangers associated with ACP façade cladding have always been present. Countless failures across the construction industry are what has, in effect, led to risks associated with these types of product not being identified or recognised early enough to prevent them from being installed up and down buildings around the world.

• Whether your building is compliant will depend entirely on its location and jurisdiction. We work closely with third party Building Surveyors / Certifiers in your region to provide you with an accurate analysis in the context of our Assessments and Remediation Strategy.

• The legislative environment concerning the status of Aluminium Composite Panelling (ACP) and other combustible cladding products is an evolving one and is also entirely dependent on where your building is located. As such, this is something Proactive Facade evaluate on a case-by-case basis.

• Our experience to date suggests that in view of the complexities surrounding liability for the original installation of ACP on building facades over the years, there is a willingness, on the part of Local Authorities signing-off on proposed remedial works, to accommodate Performance Solutions.

• Performance Solutions are ones that do not necessarily involve the complete removal of ACP from across the entire façade of a building. Instead they look for targeted ways in which to reduce risk to a building and its occupants.