Glass facades a fire hazard, say experts

The fire department has termed buildings with glass facades as inadvisable and a hindrance in fire fighting. “Every second commercial building opts for a glass facade. They look aesthetic, but the structures are major fire hazards,” said Uday Tatkare, chief fire officer.

The danger has come to light after a fire broke out in a six-storey glass facade commercial building in Kalina. Although all the employees escaped unhurt, the mishap raised concerns over the increasing number of such structures.

In the past two years, the building proposal department has received over 10,000 proposals for glass buildings. Most of them are commercial buildings. “Of the new proposals, over 90% are glass towers. However, we sanction them only after all the safety norms are fulfilled,” said a senior civic official from the building proposal department.

However, the fire department narrates a contradictory tale. “We insist on fire safety measures to be incorporated in the glass towers. But the glass panels themselves are the greatest threat when a blaze breaks out,” said a fire official.

The development control rules, 1991, and the national building code permit glass facade but with a series of pre-requisites. “We had suggested fire retardant to be applied on the glass layer to form a non inflammable shield. But none of the directions are executed,” the fire official added. Four months ago, corporator Vidya Chavan had demanded a stern policy to prevent glass towers from coming up. But none of the measures have been initiated.

Katy Rustom from the Centre for Environment Research and Education said, “The glass panels, if provided with solar panels, can be renewable sources of energy. Proper optimisation of the glass facade has to be done.”