Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau: no longer use foam building materials

Zhongshan's 'Dressing and Capping' Project Questioned—

■ Reporter Yang Xiaoxia from Xin Kuai Bao

The illegal use of foam building materials in the 'Clothing and Hatting' project has sparked strong reactions from all parties after media reports (as reported on page A20 of our newspaper on August 18). On August 24, Zhongshan City held a 'Briefing on Urban Appearance Construction and Management.' Luo Guoxuan, the Chief Engineer of the Zhongshan Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, stated that the EPS material with a combustion performance rating of B2, which was chosen for the construction, was primarily used for wall decorative moldings. Up to now, a total of 750 meters of the material has been delivered to the site, with 500 meters already installed, covering an area of 5,000 square meters on the building. The remaining 250 meters of material has been fully returned to the manufacturer. Additionally, all the installed wall decorative moldings will be completely removed, and EPS materials will no longer be used in the future. 　

[Three Questions for the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau]

Does EPS material meet the standards?

Luo Guoxuan: According to Article 2 of the 'Interim Provisions on Fire Prevention for External Thermal Insulation Systems and Exterior Wall Decorations of Civil Buildings' issued by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in 2009, the combustion performance of external thermal insulation materials for civil buildings should preferably be Class A and should not be lower than Class B2. EPS polystyrene boards, with a combustion performance rating of Class B2, are permissible for use. The reporter learned that after the 'November 15' fire in Shanghai, the Fire Department of the Ministry of Public Security issued this year the 'Notice on Further Clarifying Requirements Related to Fire Supervision and Management of External Thermal Insulation Materials for Civil Buildings,' stipulating that 'external thermal insulation materials for civil buildings should be of Class A combustion performance.' The EPS polystyrene boards used in Zhongshan's 'Exterior Renovation Project' are only rated Class B2, which is a combustible grade. Luo Guoxuan once explained to the media that the new regulations from the Ministry of Public Security do not apply to Zhongshan's 'Exterior Renovation Project' because the EPS materials currently used in Zhongshan are not serving as thermal insulation layers for building exteriors but as decorative moldings, and thus do not fall under the mandatory provisions.

If it meets the standards, why should it be demolished? And who will take the blame for the decision-making mistake?

Luo Guoxuan: Based on the comprehensive consideration of opinions from all parties, including those from the media and online, we have decided to remove all EPS decorative lines installed in the project. The costs incurred for installation and removal, including labor and material expenses, will be borne by the design unit. EPS was only used as decorative lines for some walls in the project, with minimal usage. Additionally, our bureau has organized relevant departments and units to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the project in terms of materials, quality, safety, and other aspects. Any cases of non-compliant building materials being used during construction, if found, will be dealt with severely.

It is understood that the engineering designer for this project is Zhongshan Huacheng Architectural Design Co., Ltd. The company's design director, He Yongquan, previously stated in an interview with Zhongshan media that many cities in the Pearl River Delta are undergoing urban renewal projects and typically choose between two materials: GRC or EPS. EPS is primarily a foam-based filler material encased in cement. Before selecting the material, they conducted research in places like Guangzhou and found that this material has been widely used in recent years, so EPS was chosen when formulating the initial plan.

Is the final decision-making on the project subject to public opinion pressure?

On this issue, after a moment of silence, Luo Guoxuan and the director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau did not give a direct answer. They merely expressed their deep apologies for the inconveniences caused to the public during the construction process, hoped to receive the public's understanding, and welcomed the news media to continue to supervise the project implementation.

[Reporter's Follow-up Visit]

Some sections of the road have been completely demolished.

It is understood that the 'building facade renovation' project, with Yintong Street as the boundary, covers two bid sections and nine roads. The road sections to be renovated include Qiwan Road (starting from Shangri-La Hotel in the north), Zhongshan 4th Road, Zhongshan 3rd Road, part of Zhongshan 2nd Road, Minsheng Road, Sunwen West Road (including the pedestrian street), Bo'ai 5th Road, Bo'ai 4th Road, and Xingzhong Road. It is expected that the decoration, renovation, and improvement works on the exterior walls of buildings along both sides of these roads will be completed by the end of September. Since the project commenced on July 12, as of August 22, the installation works on Sunwen Middle Road, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Minsheng Road, and other sections have been largely completed.

Yesterday afternoon, a reporter arrived at Sun Wen Middle Road, where the 'dressing and capping' work had been completed, and the scaffolding erected for construction had been dismantled, with no workers in sight. Subsequently, the reporter proceeded to Minsheng Road section, where most of the building scaffolding remained intact, and no EPS decorative lines were visible on the exterior walls of the buildings, though the exterior walls had been freshly painted. A worker, who declined to be named, informed the reporter that all the EPS decorative lines on some walls in this road section had been removed, and for those already installed in some bustling street areas, large cranes would be responsible for their removal after midnight.