Auckland Council names 25 blocks with cladding cores like Grenfell Tower

The Spencer on Byron hotel and apartments in Takapuna are under repair.

Auckland Council has just released a list of 25 buildings with exterior aluminium composite claddings like the Grenfell Tower in London, where a fire last year killed more than 70 people.

But the council stressed the Auckland buildings with the flammable polyethylene cores in their claddings are not necessarily dangerous because they have other means of fire protection.

The huge Waitakere Stadium at Henderson, certain Auckland Hospital buildings in Grafton, Spark's four-building campus in Victoria St, large residential blocks in the Viaduct and CBD, the huge PwC building on the city's waterfront, TVNZ's headquarters on Victoria St, Auckland University's Owen Glenn Building and many apartment blocks appear on the list.

After a Herald official information request, the council named 116 buildings it said "appear to utilise ACP cladding to some extent".

"In some cases the cladding material has a modified fire resistant core. Far fewer cases have cladding with a combustible polyethylene core," said council building consents general manager Ian McCormick.

The Spark buildings on Victoria St West have ACP claddings. Photo/Greg Bowker

"The extent and use of ACP on the buildings varies considerably from the full facade, to decorative features only and many buildings examined did not contain ACP at all," he said.

Owners of the buildings have been told about the claddings but McCormick stressed the buildings were not necessarily dangerous to occupy because they had extensive fire protection measures such as sprinklers, alarms and escape routes.

Nautilus apartment/hotel building in Orewa, now under repair.

"In each case we have informed building owners or the body corporate. We have encouraged them to notify their insurers and seek their own professional engineering advice," he said.

Of the 116 buildings on the list, those listed as ACP PE have the cladding with a polyethylene core, like Grenfell Towers.