MIDDLE EAST
Skyscraper fires
By Duncan Mil
March 29, 2016 - A blaze at a United Arab Emirates’ tower, the fourth fire in a little more than a year, has raised fears about the use of highly combustible aluminium composite panels on the exterior facades of skyscrapers.
At the heart of safety concerns is the use of polyurethane and aluminium composite cladding on buildings throughout the height of the emirate’s building boom. The material was only outlawed by new buildings regulations in 2013.