Two Reading hotels apply to remove dangerous cladding
The building owner has applied to the Council to replace it
Plans have been submitted to replace dangerous cladding at two hotels in Reading town centre.
The 14-storey Ibis and Novotel hotels on Friar Street have cladding which is “unsafe in the event of fire”.
Building owner Accor Invest has applied to the council to address the issue, seeking to replace metal panel cladding.
LMA Architects, which submitted the proposals on behalf of Accor Invest, said: “The flammability and the proximity of the insulated metal panels to the fire escape route and neighbouring buildings, renders the cladding unsafe in the event of a fire.”
The flammable Proteus 10 insulated metal panel rain screen cladding and insulated metal curtain wall panel will be replaced on all elevations from the ground to 14th floor.
The building façade primarily consists of brick masonry, glazed curtain wall, insulated metal curtain wall panel, insulated metal rainscreen panel and composite metal rainscreen panel.
All cladding materials other than the insulated metal curtain wall panel and the insulated metal rainscreen panel are fire safety compliant.
A solid aluminium cladding alternative, which will have the same look, is proposed to replace the metal panel cladding.
Potentially combustible cladding is being removed from sites across the town, which are mostly tall apartment blocks.
The cladding has since been replaced at three of the sites; planning permission to replace cladding at the fourth was granted last October.