Sealing spaces, saving structures: Using Injectaclad to remediate fire risk in hidden wall spaces
Iain Hoey
Share this content
Injectaclad describes how its patented approach supports safer, faster building remediation
The question of fire safety in external walls continues to challenge housing providers, developers and regulators alike.
Cavity fire barriers, which play a key role in containing fire and smoke, have been found missing or poorly installed in thousands of buildings.
Traditional remediation has often required full façade removal – an expensive and disruptive process that many owners struggle to deliver at scale.
Injectaclad was created to address this issue in a more practical way.
Originating from a contractor’s request in 2016, the company has since developed and tested a method that restores fire-stopping performance with less disruption to buildings and their occupants.
Rather than focus on wholesale removal, the approach is aimed at reinstating compartmentation from the outside – preserving much of the original structure.
With increasing pressure on the industry to act proportionately, quickly and safely, Injectaclad’ s model is drawing attention.
In this conversation, the team behind the innovation explains how the system works, where it’s being used, and why a more scalable solution is needed now more than ever.
What specific fire safety issue does Injectaclad aim to resolve?
Injectaclad is designed to remediate missing and/or defective cavity fire barriers within existing buildings.
Following the Grenfell tragedy, regulations changed regarding how external façades are assessed in relation to compartmentation and preventing the spread of hidden fires.
We are increasingly finding that buildings are failing external wall surveys due either to cavity fire barriers being entirely absent or, where installed, being defective and unable to perform as originally intended.
How does Injectaclad installation differ from traditional remediation approaches?
Traditionally, where cavity fire barriers are missing or defective, large sections – or sometimes all – of the external façade must be removed to allow the installation of new passive fire barriers, followed by reconstruction of the façade.
Injectaclad enables remediation without removing the façade.
Instead, the system is pumped through small openings made in the external skin, forming a new cavity fire barrier.
These access points are repaired on completion.
A key difference is that Injectaclad has been designed, developed and tested to work with insulation left in place within the cavity.
It is an intumescent-based, high-expanding product.
In the event of a fire, as insulation burns away, Injectaclad intumesces, expands and seals the gap, preventing fire from spreading within the cavity.
There is no other system on the market that works in this way, and all testing – carried out at UKAS-accredited centres – is backed by third-party accreditation.
What are the main benefits of using Injectaclad in terms of cost, time and disruption?
There are numerous benefits to using Injectaclad for cavity fire barrier remediation in existing buildings.
In terms of time, installation is significantly faster than removing and rebuilding façades and insulation.
Disruption is also reduced, as the system does not require full façade removal.
Injectaclad can be installed via MEWPs [Mobile Elevated Working Platforms] rather than full scaffolding, so work may only take a few hours outside an apartment instead of residents living with scaffolding for months.
Environmentally, Injectaclad produces far less waste than traditional methods.
Because façades and insulation are not removed, there is minimal debris or material sent to landfill.
Cost savings are also achieved.
Shorter installation times reduce preliminaries, and avoiding full elevation rebuilds limits labour and material costs.
Where bricks are removed, they are generally reused.
Retaining existing insulation eliminates the expense of removal, disposal, and full replacement to maintain thermal performance.
If site conditions allow MEWP access, further savings are made by avoiding the need for scaffolding.
How does Injectaclad comply with PAS 9980 and fire risk assessments?
PAS 9980 is described as a “risk-proportionate guideline”, and the government has expressed strong support for ensuring that any remedial works required are proportionate to the risks identified.
Risk is rarely a matter of absolute safety or danger.
In most situations, it is not possible to reduce risk to zero, so the aim is to reduce it to a level that is reasonably acceptable.
Installing Injectaclad helps bring risk down to as low as reasonably practicable, in line with the ALARP principle.
This supports compliance with PAS 9980 and aligns with the expectations set out in current fire risk assessments.
Who installs Injectaclad and how is quality managed across projects?
Injectaclad is installed by our QA Approved Contractors.
After a vetting process, contractors are trained at our headquarters in Cardiff to ensure they fully understand the system.
We work with a small number of contractors deliberately, to maintain high standards across all installations.
In addition to training, we carry out site audits on live projects to verify that installations are being completed by trained operatives, in line with technical specifications and guidance.
Each project is documented as part of the Golden Thread, forming a live record passed from managing agent to managing agent or building owner to building owner.
All of our QA Approved Contractors are third-party accredited for passive fire protection and provide the end user with their own accreditation, alongside our product/system accreditation.
What types of projects has Injectaclad been used on so far?
Since 2020, Injectaclad has been used across the UK and Ireland on a wide range of buildings, from low-rise to high-rise, including everything from small remediations to multi-million-pound schemes.
Most projects involve multi-storey, multi-occupied residential buildings.
These include apartment blocks, student housing, Ministry of Defence buildings, modular homes, hospitals and care facilities.
Injectaclad is tested for use in timber-framed buildings, properties of traditional construction, and buildings with internal SFS structures, both with and without sheathing board.
To determine suitability for a specific project, we typically require a section drawing of the cavity build-up to compare against our third-party accredited EXAP [Extended Field of Application Assessment].
How has demand changed in recent months, particularly in light of the Public Accounts Committee report and the Gateway 2 backlog?
Most industry professionals agree that the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) represents progress toward safer living environments.
However, the BSR has acknowledged that it underestimated the volume of applications it would receive, resulting in a backlog.
This backlog has reduced demand for Injectaclad over the past year, as high-rise projects remain delayed in the Gateway 2 system.
Developers and building owners are keen to proceed, and in many cases, our QA Approved Installers already have contracts ready to begin once BSR approval is granted.
The BSR has indicated that its resourcing is improving, and the time from submission to decision is expected to shorten.
This will allow more remediation work to move forward, improving safety for residents and property stakeholders.
Meanwhile, demand remains strong for lower-risk buildings under 18 metres in height.
What future role could Injectaclad play in improving remediation outcomes?
We see Injectaclad continuing to play a central role in this effort, not only in the UK and Ireland but potentially worldwide.
The system is protected by a global patent, and our ability to deliver on its potential depends on two things: strong supporting test data and the quality of our QA Approved Installers – both of which we are committed to expanding and improving.
If you have a potential project where Injectaclad could be a suitable solution, please email [email protected].