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hong kong Residents, construction professionals and former senior officials are contesting the idea that bamboo scaffolding was the main reason the flames spread so quickly in the city’s deadliest fire in decades, as debate rages over whether it should be replaced.
Authorities immediately focused on the traditional scaffolding encircling apartment buildings in the Vang Phuc Court complex — where a deadly fire that broke out on Nov. 26 spread from one tower to seven, killing at least 159 people. While most of the green netting covering the scaffolding was burnt down, some bamboo scaffolding also burnt down and fell, and authorities have stepped up plans to replace it.
Despite the mainland, bamboo scaffoldings are a common sight on Hong Kong’s high-rise buildings China and in other places Asia Mostly started using metal alternatives.
An industry association says there are an estimated 3,000 workers registered to build bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong, a construction technique hundreds of years old.
experts Skeptical about blaming bamboo
Christophe Crolla, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Hong Kong who focuses on bamboo architecture, said, “I would be very cautious about blaming bamboo itself before the full investigation report is published.”
As a natural material, bamboo can be combustible, Crolla said. But “when used properly and combined with certified fire retardant mesh it is comparatively difficult to ignite.”
During the fire, the bamboo scaffolding erected for external maintenance work along with the green netting on it were also destroyed by the flames. But bamboo generally does not “easily ignite,” said Raffaella Andrizzi, an architect who researches bamboo scaffolding and teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “Focusing solely on bamboo risks obscuring more systemic safety issues,” he said.
Last week, as firefighters were battling the deadly blaze for the second day, the city’s chief secretary for administration, Eric Chan, told reporters that the fire resistance of bamboo scaffolding was “lower” than that of metal scaffolding.
Top leaders of the city, john leeSaid that officials had met representatives of the construction industry to discuss the timeline for switching to metal scaffolding. Metal should be used when possible for safety reasons, Chan said.
The initial causes of the fire are being investigated. So far, experts have found that some of the green netting wrapped around the bamboo scaffolding was substandard and that flammable foam board was used to seal the windows during the months-long renovation. Those were the main factors that caused the fire to spread to seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Phuc Court complex, Security Secretary Chris Tang said.
Pushback from residents and former officials
A note in Chinese left amid a mountain of bouquets near the disaster site was unambiguous: “Not the bamboo scaffolding, but the entire system should be reviewed.” Many others have also posted similar comments on social media.
Pinning blame on the bamboo scaffolding is a “lazy, scapegoating” move that distracts from deeper issues, Hong Kong’s former security secretary Regina Ip, an adviser to Chief Executive Lee, wrote in local newspaper Ming Pao on Tuesday.
“It would be a pity to hastily take a decision to ban bamboo scaffolding – which is flexible in use – because of this incident,” John Tsang, Hong Kong’s former financial secretary, wrote on his Facebook page.
“Anyone with common sense knows that burning bamboo is not that easy,” he said.
Challenges in converting bamboo scaffolding
Defenders of bamboo scaffolding say it is uniquely suited to Hong Kong’s dense, irregular urban landscape.
“It is light, fast, adaptable and supported by generations of efficient scaffolders – qualities that have shaped the city’s skyline and the pace of construction,” said Andrizzi of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Both cannot be replaced so easily, said Crowley University of Hong Kong.
For one, “bamboo scaffolding can thread through very tight urban conditions and irregular facades in a way that metal systems often cannot,” he said.
Ehsan Norouzinejad, a senior researcher focusing on construction and infrastructure at Western Sydney University, said aluminum or steel scaffolding is non-combustible and can last longer. But it is also heavy and can take longer to set up and dismantle.
Bamboo costs half or less than metal scaffolding, said Ho Ping-tek, president of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union. He questioned how willing residents of older buildings in need of exterior repairs would be willing to pay more.
broader issues have emerged
Wider issues of suspected bid-rigging and the use of substandard construction materials in other building maintenance and renovation projects remain in the news as the city mourns the victims of the fire.
“Changing materials alone (from bamboo to metal scaffolding) will not solve the underlying problems around specification, enforcement and site supervision,” Andrizzi said. Policy changes must be based on evidence, he said, because otherwise Hong Kong risks disrupting a system that has worked for decades while failing to stem regulatory problems and the use of unauthorized construction materials.
Authorities have arrested at least 15 people in an investigation into suspected corruption and negligence in the renovation project.
This has raised questions about government oversight, as residents of Vang Phuc Court raised fire safety concerns about construction materials, including mesh, a year ago.
Following the fire, contractors carrying out external maintenance work in many other housing estates in Hong Kong began removing the mesh covering the scaffolding. On Wednesday, officials ordered the removal of outdoor scaffolding nets on hundreds of buildings undergoing major renovation or maintenance. They should be tested before reinstalling.
Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, said an independent committee would investigate the cause of the fire. He promised systemic change in the construction industry to prevent further such tragedies.
“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served,” he said.
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AP photographer Chan Long Hei in Hong Kong and AP Business Writer Ellen Kurtenbach contributed to this report.