Publicly available Fire Risk Reports from ucl-safety.co.uk show that concerns were raised by the University about the cladding system in place on Goldsmid House in 2017, following the Grenfell Tower fire of the same year.
The fire and rescue service had also expressed concern about the cladding at UCL’s undergraduate-only Hall of Residence for 154 students located near Victoria.
An expert report commissioned by UCL in 2018 recommended that the “combustible expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulated render cladding system should be replaced at the earliest opportunity with compliant, non-combustible materials”.
Furthermore, vertical and horizontal cavity fire barriers designed to stop fire spread have not been installed on the building.
However, the regular Fire Risk Assessments say that “there are currently no proposals in place to replace the […] insulation of EPS, together with the horizontal and vertical fire barriers on the north elevation of South Block and all elevations of North Block.”
Talking to the Council
Westminster City Council told The Cheese Grater that “the integrity of the building is in question”.
They added that if remedial works had been undertaken, they would have been contacted to confirm that the works conform with regulation and to provide a certificate upon completion.
This suggests that UCL has not undertaken work to remove the flammable cladding. In addition, the Council stated that any fire issue with a building should be “solved immediately”.
The danger of flammable cladding was tragically illustrated by the deaths of 72 people in the Grenfell fire in 2017.
Similarly, End Our Cladding Scandal, a volunteer-led organisation set up after the Grenfell Tower fire, pointed The Cheese Grater to a fire at a student accommodation block in Bolton called “The Cube” that was known to have flammable cladding.
Given that Goldsmid House is over seven stories tall, UCL has a legal duty to report its flammable cladding. The government Building Safety Regulator told The Cheese Grater that they were not able to confirm nor deny that UCL had followed this legal obligation.
The curious case of Hawkridge House
In 2020, students were ordered to leave Hawkridge House mid-term without adequate explanation.
A UCL spokesperson told Camden New Journal: “As part of our continuous fire risk assessments across UCL, some expanded polystyrene (EPS) was revealed behind the cladding at Hawkridge House.
“Despite the building having robust fire safety measures in place, and having passed all relevant inspections at the time, we decided to relocate students to alternative UCL accommodation."
It is not clear why UCL deemed it acceptable to continue to house students in one accommodation with flammable cladding but not another.
Advice for residents
The Cheese Grater also contacted Homes England to request advice for residents in Goldsmid House. They responded by saying that students should “engage” with UCL to seek clarity on “what action they are taking to remediate the building” and “any interim measures in place to mitigate any fire risks in the meantime”.
They also noted: “[w]here there are concerns about a lack of cooperation students can contact their local authority or fire and rescue service”.
A UCL spokesperson said: “UCL takes the safety of students and staff extremely seriously and we have an ongoing programme of works to maintain and improve our entire student accommodation estate.
“This programme is guided by comprehensive fire safety assessments carried out by external consultants as well as yearly reviews by UCL’s own Fire Safety Team.
“A section of cladding over one entrance of Goldsmid House was replaced in 2020. Work to remove the remaining cladding will be scheduled following design work and planning approval.
“In the meantime, a number of measures have been undertaken to mitigate risk and ensure the halls remain a safe environment. These include the introduction of additional fire stopping measures to staircase windows and ground floor lobby area to protect the entrance and staircases.
“In addition to these measures, all UCL halls have extensive and robust fire safety arrangements in place, developed in consultation with the UCL Fire Safety Team, such as fire drills and fire safety walks.”