LONDON: A big bank in Abu Dhabi has stripped the cladding from its new headquarters building in the UAE capital amid growing scrutiny of tower facades worldwide.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) is replacing the recently installed exterior cladding panels on its new headquarters building as companies across the country assess the materials used on the outside of their offices.
It is not known why the bank decided to replace the facade, but it confirmed that new panels were being mounted on the building.
The bank aims to complete the building located on Abu Dhabi’s Airport Road, by early 2018.
“As part of the process of finalizing the building, (the) new cladding is being mounted that meets the highest local and international standards and requirements,” said Sagheer Mufti, chief operations officer at ADIB, in a statement.
“The new building will house ADIB’s flagship retail branch, our digital studio and training facilities, and will also serve as the bank’s head office.
“ADIB has already completed construction of a mosque in the area, which is now in operation.”
Thousands of building owners are conducting tests on their facades after a spate of blazes involving buildings covered with aluminum composite panels that are sometimes filled with highly flammable plastic material.
A massive fire in London last month, which claimed at least 80 lives, has refocused attention on the safety of towers covered with such panels.
Contractors had started to strip the exterior wall panels of the new Abu Dhabi building before the Grenfell Tower blaze last month.
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