UK
The fire was in a block called Grenfell near Westway where you drive into London from north west.
A comment says action should be taken within months or weeks, not years. I disagree. Action should be taken NOW. Not only to NOT install more cladding on other buildings of the type which caught fire, sent flames up the outside of the building so smoke went to those at windows, preventing you seeing people, preventing them from jumping out. Remove all the cladding which is already there.
Also revise regulations. Regulations are either insufficient or ignored. Both problems need to be addressed. Apparently the building was recently checked for fire safety. It wasn't enough, was it!
Double figures, dead, more in intensive care, others still 'unaccounted for', bodies not identifiable. Others who may be illegal and not known because known only to the people they were staying with who are already dead.
New York
Also install exterior fire exits like the ones you see all over warehouses and homes in New York, which were the result of the legislation after a fire in a garment factory in New York early the century, not this century, the previous century.
Canada
In a previous post I said I liked the design of Habitat, which I saw in 1967 in Canada, a stepped building with every flat having a roof garden on the top of the flat below. to get down you could go down one level at a time.
Harrow, in London
People say, but there's no room, no space, for that pyramid type design. We have a similar shape in Harrow in London, a curved block. It is new, opened in 2016.
Bradstowe House, built in Harrow, N W London, England, with stepped style. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Many housing estates on the edges of cities have plenty of ground space. They have half a dozen skyscrapers with huge areas of park land at ground level. You could construct buildings differently.
H Shape Buildings
Another system is the H shape building, which enables some of the people to come down or go up and escape to another building.
Singapore
Singapore has several H shape buildings and there are many more worldwide.
Fire Safety Architecture Plans
Architects and schools of architecture worldwide should be thinking of new designs. We have buildings such as Marina Bay Sands in Singapore which was a swimming pool across the top, linking the top of three towers.
Canadian Walkways
In Canada the skyscrapers containing shops and offices are linked above ground level for pedestrian access above the roads below, which speeds road traffic and pedestrians, and provides shelter in snowy weather or sunny weather or rainy weather. It should also provide escape in fires - prolonging you can have a double door system to lock and keep out the fire, maybe automatically, after the people have escaped.
Finally Sprinklers
Apparently the residents were asked if they wanted sprinklers installed which would have delayed the renovations of the block, and many declined. A safety installation should not be at the whim of one or more residents who can veto the idea.
It's like the story of the man drilling a hole under his seat in a lifeboat. The holes affects everybody.
Regulations should be in place to protect all there residents. The relations affect residents' their relatives worldwide. Also consider the safety of the fire services going in and risking their lives o rescue people.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40298473 (story on on the fire)
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker, travel writer and photographer. I have other posts on fires, London, and safety. If you want something more cheerful, I just wrote a post on London's green parks. Please share links to my posts.
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