Was Dubai’s Address Hotel Built to Burn?

[PersonalProfile]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/31/was-dubai-s-address-hotel-built-to-burn.html

Despite Betteridge's law regarding the above reference, I have read some early suggestions that the building's cladding "significantly contributed" to the fire, an issue that I assume g is similar to:

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4243787.htm

I thought I had read a discussion regarding the above on this site, however I was not able to locate a link.

This is not my background, and I have not been following in detail.

Regards,
Lyle

 

[IRstuff]

I heard about it on the radio, and it definitely seemed odd to me that multiple floors are involved:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/31/middleeast/dubai-address-hotel-fire/

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[hokie66]

Sounds similar to the fire at the appropriately named "Torch Tower".

http://www.smh.com.au/world/fire-en...h-residential-skyscraper-20150221-13kzpv.html

Wonder if the claddings in Dubai are the Chinese made "Alucobest" as in the Melbourne fire.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-27/cheap-cladding-turns-apartments-into-time-bombs/6501716

 

[cranky108]

What was the thing about propane tanks? Do they allow propane tanks in high rises?

I know they do in South America, but maybe also in Dubai.

 

[BigInch]

A number of buildings in the UAE have burned severely because of claddings, or the sealant used to fill between the panels turning into a vertical fuse. As I understand in some of the Emerites, perhaps not all, the use of inflamable plastic panels and sealants have since been outlawed by introduction of a new building code.

 

[BUGGAR]

I have a bunch of aluminum clad polymeric cladding submittal samples from various jobs. Next time I BBQ, I'll throw one on and see what happens. After the steaks, of course.

 

[IRstuff]

If it's hot enough, the aluminum should ignite, which should be equally interesting.

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[bimr]

"The biggest problem lies with panel cores that are all or mostly polyethylene, a common type of plastic, said Andy Dean, the Mideast head of facades at the engineering consultancy WSP Global.

"The ones with 100-percent polyethylene core can burn quiet readily," Dean said. "Some of the older, even fire-rated materials, still have quite a lot of polymer in them.""

http://theworldlink.com/news/world/...cle_be0e2381-538a-5954-9b58-a23df12652fa.html

 

[hokie66]

Looks like another one of these cladding fires.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/28/middleeast/uae-ajman-tower-blaze/index.html

 

[dbill74]

A year or two ago saw a documentary about World Trade Center collapse during 9/11 refuting certain aspects of the 9/11 Commission Report and various conspiracy theories. In this documentary a theory was put forth to explain the accelerated collapse and explosions that were heard. This theory states that molten aluminum from the planes got wet from broken water pipes. Apparently when molten aluminum comes in contact with water it becomes quite volatile, even explosive, as several aluminum plants have learned over the years.

It makes me wonder if the paneling on this building, if made partially with aluminum, became molten, got wet and caused several of the explosions that were heard in the story.

 

[hokie66]

dbill74,
There have indeed been several molten aluminum and water explosions at aluminum smelters and reclamation plants, but the cause of these is well known and would not apply in this case. The small explosions on the high rise balconies were most likely gas bottles exploding.