Hmmmm, how's your cladding?, page-10

I guess I'm becoming more cynical with age. A few things occur to me....

- If the cladding on half the buildings is non-compliant, does it not imply a totally failed system? Was FR cladding actually specified in the building design specification? If not, why not? If it was, then doesn't that imply inadequate inspection oversight during construction?

- If the problem is extensive and could be shown to have occurred due to poor oversight, then would the authorities be likely to admit partial responsibility (= possible liability) and demand corrective measures? Or would they simply say the problem isn't really that important?

- If the problem is proven and the builders could be shown to have deliberately substituted inferior (=cheaper) cladding - everybody's doing it and we have to stay competitive - then is anyone going to demand the buildings be re-clad correctly at the builder's expense? That's not going to happen: the construction company's insurance wouldn't cover it so they would go broke overnight.

- If the major construction companies are working on such tight margins that they needed to cut corners with the cladding, then wouldn't they be cutting corners throughout the entire building? Fire ratings are (or should be) specified throughout the exterior and interior of each building. How can we know that the interior timber panelling, the ceilings, the walls, the floor coverings, etc are as specified? Can we even be sure the sprinkler systems will operate as intended?

And I haven't even started on the interior fit-outs by the owners / occupiers. Built-in furnishings, carpets, curtains, seats, desks, etc, etc.

When you start to look into the building industry, you quickly wish you hadn't! The sheer complexity of each of the multitude of stages in construction and the extent of the industry means that it is virtually impossible to know what's going into buildings here in Australia, and around the world.

We have to rely on trust, and that's difficult to do. We assume that all is well - until it isn't. A building goes up in flames. We find that our carpet and our bed are causing us harm. We humans are pretty good at messing thing up!!!

Just had to get that lot off my chest!! Thank goodness for the ethical companies like AJX, with a team dedicated to producing products that are green and will improve the lot of future generations.

All just my opinion, of course.

Jeff