CLADDING found on both the inside and outside of an Irish council building is of a similar composite to the cladding on Grenfell Tower, it has been revealed.
Cork County Council said that following the Grenfell Tower blaze in Britain, which killed 79 people earlier this month, it 'had come to light' that a similar aluminium composite material had been used on the County Hall building.
The 17 storey office block, originally built in the 1960s, is located on Carrigrohane Road in Cork City underwent a €62million refurbishment in 2006.
County Hall in Cork has similar cladding panels to those which were found on Grenfell Tower. (Picture: Cork County Council)In a statement to The Irish Post, a spokeswoman for the Council said: "The [cladding] panel has been installed around the external facade of the Council chamber within the main foyer of the building.
"The Council’s Facilities Manager and Chief Fire Officer have reviewed the matter and having regard to the limited extent of the use of the panel, the nature of the use of the building and the fire safety measures installed, the use of the panelling meets all fire safety requirements and does not pose any increased risk to the users of the building.
"Notwithstanding the above, the Council is immediately commissioning a report on the proper installation of the material in question and will take any further necessary action should this raise a concern of any nature."
The spokeswoman also said the Council incorporates a range of fire safety measures to ensure the safety of the building, including sprinkler protection, automatic smoke ventilation system, smoke detection and alarm system and a means of escape design.
While the investigation into what caused the fire at the Grenfell Tower block in north Kensington, west London continues, Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the aluminium tiles are under examination, and after preliminary testing, had failed safety tests.
"We will examine the construction of the building including the refurbishment.
"Whilst of course we are examining, with experts, the aluminium panelling we are also looking at the entire exterior of the building.
"What that means is the aluminium composite tiles, the insulation behind it, how the tiles were fixed to the building as well as how it was installed.
"Our tests will look at each aspect individually as well as how they how all worked together as part of the building's cladding.
"Preliminary tests show the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower combusted soon after the test started.
"The initial tests on equivalent aluminium composite tiles failed the safety tests," she said.
As a result of widespread cladding tests across Britain, 60 high rise buildings across 25 local authority areas have failed a combustibility test.
