Following the deadly fire that engulfed London’s Grenfell Tower last month, Singapore authorities are reviewing legislative amendments to require buildings built before 1974 to perform fire-safety upgrades, reported The Straits Times.
It was announced last Friday that 149 buildings in Britain failed the fire-safety tests conducted after the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June.
The tests related to the use of cladding, which were usually applied on the building’s external walls for weather protection or aesthetics.
Under the amendments, buildings constructed before 1974 in Singapore that have not had any upgrading works would be required to meet fire-safety rules, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said in a written reply.
This comes as the Fire Code, which was introduced in 1974, required buildings to use claddings that are of Class 0 standard only, or those that when ignited, fire would not spread along the surface.
He added that all high-rise buildings within the city-state, or those above 24m in height and around eight to 10 storeys high, are also mandated to have added fire-safety provisions like fire lifts.
This article was edited by Denise Djong.
