For today’s Cladding Matters, Gareth Wax, Stephen Day and myself, Hamish McLay, are turning our attention to a tragedy unfolding thousands of miles away. The fire in Tai Po has shaken Hong Kong, yet its significance stretches far beyond a single city. It is a powerful reminder that the building safety crisis is worldwide. Wherever temporary materials are used, and wherever shortcuts slip into everyday practice, the risks are shared across borders.

The initial reports from Hong Kong made for difficult reading. The towers in Tai Po were covered in bamboo scaffolding as part of routine renovation. Around that scaffolding sat layers of green mesh, plastic sheeting and foam used to seal window openings. These were not permanent fixtures. They were temporary coverings put in place to help workers carry out repairs. Yet once the fire started, these very materials created a clear path for flames to move across the exterior at alarming speed.

What should have been a contained blaze quickly turned into a full scale disaster. External coverings that many consider harmless became fuel. The fire climbed the scaffolding, caught the mesh and spread across the façade with extraordinary force. Residents described having only seconds to react. Firefighters faced a fast-rising wall of heat that made early intervention almost impossible. The tragedy was not only the fire itself but the speed at which it outpaced every safety measure in place.

It might be tempting to see this as a problem unique to Hong Kong. Bamboo scaffolding is a long-standing tradition in the region. The use of plastic netting and foam coverings reflects local construction habits. Yet when the dust settles, the underlying issue looks very familiar to those of us dealing with the UK building safety crisis. When temporary materials are used without proper fire resistance, or when renovation practices rely on convenience or cost-saving, the risk rises dramatically.

We see similar concerns here at home. Many remediation projects wrap tower blocks in scaffolding and sheeting for months at a time. Residents live behind barriers they did not choose, and many feel on edge when they cannot see what is happening outside their own windows. The fire in Hong Kong highlights how vital it is to ensure that all materials used during renovation, whether temporary or permanent, meet the highest safety standards. It only takes one spark for a temporary measure to become a long-term disaster.

Stephen Day, who lives at Royal Artillery Quays, understands this anxiety all too well. His own building is surrounded by scaffolding and ongoing remediation. His experience brings a human voice to the concerns that many residents share. Living in the middle of a construction site while trusting others to get it right is no small thing. The Hong Kong fire shows what can happen when trust is misplaced or oversight falls short.

This is why our conversation today matters. Gareth, Stephen and I will explore what went wrong in Tai Po and why the world should pay attention. Building safety is not a local issue. It is a shared global challenge. The same patterns appear again and again, whether in London, Hong Kong or anywhere in between. Poor materials, weak regulation and temporary works that are treated as harmless can combine to create deadly outcomes.

Cladding Matters airs on the Spilling the Proper Tea YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea

For content enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For podcast and media info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.