The lead architect on the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, which was completed the year before the building caught fire in 2017, has revealed that he was not aware of all the fire safety advice for tall buildings.
Bruce Sounes, an associate architect at Studio E responsible for managing the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower in 2015 and 2016, has told the enquiry into the fire that he had not read sections of Approved Document B ? the fire safety advice laid out by the UK government's Building Regulations 2010.
Sounes gave evidence at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on 2 to 4 March 2020.
Asked if he familiarised himself with the fire safety requirements in Approved Document B during the Grenfell Tower refurbishment project, Sounes said: "I can't recall doing so, no". When asked if he read it at the time he added: "I referred to it on occasion, but I certainly didn't read it from start to finish, no."
Architect unaware of cladding fire risk
Sounes also did not read the document's specific fire safety guidance for buildings over 18 metres tall.
Asked if he had read this guidance he replied: "No, I was aware that they may exist, yes, but I myself did not refer to part B at the time."
Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died after its cladding system caught fire, was over 67 metres tall.
Sounes stated that he was also unaware of issues around the combustibility of aluminium cladding panels, which are increasingly used as exterior insulation in the push for ...