Welcome to our Property Damage podcast series on Modern Methods of Construction and the risk of fire. In this episode, Lori McConnachie and Matthew Lowry, solicitors at Clyde & Co are joined by Sam Morley, Senior Associate at Hawkins. They discuss the risks associated with modern facades in construction and in particular the issues around absent or poorly installed cavity barriers in order to consider the fire risks facing the insurance industry.

Due to the increasing creativity both in the design and materials used to construct buildings, there are an increasing number of new considerations for insurers when assessing their risk exposure in respect of fires.

Cavity barriers are essential for maximising fire performance and their suitability for the building needs to be considered at the design stage. However, the ever-increasing variety of materials used and the complex geometry associated with the use of some materials means that insurers are increasingly seeing issues with buildings which have poorly-installed or inappropriate cavity barriers and insufficient fire prevention or fire-stopping measures. Take a listen to the podcast below for steps that insurers can consider taking to reduce their risks.

*This recording was made by BLM prior to its merger with Clyde & Co.