Safety consultant Exova warned podium proposals made 鈥榚xisting crap condition worse鈥�
Local authority planning officers 鈥渞esponded negatively鈥� to initial proposals to cover Grenfell Tower with rainscreen cladding, the public inquiry into 2017鈥檚 fatal fire has heard.
Evidence put to Studio E Architects鈥� project lead Bruce Sounes today included minutes from a design team meeting suggesting Kensington and Chelsea council planners preferred other options to boost the tower鈥檚 appearance and energy efficiency.
The session also heard that fire-safety consultant Exova voiced concerns about Studio E鈥檚 proposals to reconfigure the tower鈥檚 four-storey podium to introduce new homes 鈥� something Sounes earlier conceded was the most complex aspect of the plans.
Inquiry counsel Kate Grange produced a note added to a record of an April 2012 design team meeting for the refurbishment project showing that overcladding was on the agenda for the tower at that stage 鈥� and that officers were unconvinced of the merits of such a plan.
鈥漈he planners responded negatively to aluminium rainscreen as a cladding solution, calling it plastic,鈥� the note said.
鈥淭hey would like to see the character of the tower retained or enhanced, even suggesting leaving the diamond piers exposed. They would prefer to see an insulated render system.鈥�
One section of the document 鈥� printed on Studio E-headed paper 鈥� highlighted by Grange noted that 鈥渋mproving the thermal efficiency and visual appearance of the fa莽ade鈥� of Grenfell Tower was among the project objectives.
It added that the plans may be 鈥減ossibly complementary鈥� to Studio E鈥檚 neighbouring Kensington Academy and Leisure Centre project.
Much of Wednesday鈥檚 evidence on the groundwork for Grenfell Tower鈥檚 refurbishment, ahead of the fire which claimed 72 lives, focused on Studio E鈥檚 interaction with consultant Exova.
Barrister Grange sought to establish that Exova had been well aware from an early stage that Studio E planned to overclad the 24-storey block.
One piece of email evidence from the consultant also showed that there were concerns about plans to reconfigure the tower鈥檚 four-storey podium.
A communication from consultant Cate Cooney to another Exova colleague said the proposals were 鈥渘ot great鈥� and would need 鈥渕assage鈥� to be considered acceptable.
鈥淭here are approvals risks to the project on the [firefighting] shaft/MOE front,鈥� she wrote 鈥� referring to means of escape.
鈥淭hey are making an existing crap condition worse so it鈥檚 a matter of working the worse bits out and making the new stuff work. No sprinklers wanted.鈥�
Studio E鈥檚 Sounes said he did not recall 鈥渢hat level of concern鈥� being expressed, or the issue of sprinklers being discussed at the time.
Sounes had been due to conclude his evidence this afternoon but was taken ill shortly before lunchtime.
The inquiry continues.
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