2022-12-15
The ACT Government has completed works to rectify combustible cladding on government-owned buildings. The project ran for 20 months and removed and replaced combustible cladding on 23 buildings including education, community, and housing sites.
“The priority for the ACT Government has been to ensure ACT residents who live, work and use these buildings are not impacted by high-risk combustible cladding and this program has delivered a fantastic outcome for the Canberra community,” Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction Rebecca Vassarotti said.
“The works has removed high risk combustible cladding panels and replaced them with materials that are compliant with the National Construction Code.
“Not only has this project reduced the risk posed by combustible cladding, but its recycling program means the materials removed from ACT Government owned buildings can be repurposed.”
Rectification works were taken on the following ACT Government buildings:
- ACT Magistrates Court
- Arawang Primary School
- Belconnen Community Health Centre
- Building 4 at Canberra Hospital
- Building 12 at Canberra Hospital
- Canberra High School
- Civic Youth Centre
- Erindale College
- Four Housing ACT sites
- Griffin Centre
- Gungahlin College
- Gungahlin Oval grandstand
- Howard Florey House
- Lyneham Primary School
- Melrose High School
- Namadgi School
- National Convention Centre
- Palmerston Primary
- Tuggeranong Child And Family Centre
- Yarralumla Primary School
From Education sites alone, more than 4,000 square metres, or 24 tonnes, of cladding panels were removed and recycled in a local Green Star waste facility. The greenhouse benefits of recycling the panels are the equivalent of removing 43 internal combustion engine cars from the road (saving 182 tonnes of CO2 emissions).
The ACT Government is also providing support to owners’ corporations of privately owned buildings, so they can carry out the same risk-reducing works on eligible apartment buildings and townhouses. Assistance is available through the Private Buildings Cladding Scheme to owners’ corporations with moderate or higher risk cladding on their building.
Building owners who have participated in the testing and assessment phase of the scheme can now apply for a concessional loan to assist with the costs of removing and replacing combustible cladding. Applications can be made at act.gov.au/cladding.