High-rise buildings carry a different level of risk and complexity than lower-rise remediation projects, and that shapes how a project needs to be planned from day one.
Many high-rise residential buildings meet the Building Safety Act’s definition of a Higher-Risk Building — generally 18 metres or more, or 7 or more storeys, with at least two residential units. This brings duties on the Accountable Person to assess and manage building safety risk, including the external wall, and to register the building with the Building Safety Regulator.
Height also changes how the work itself has to be delivered. Projects run around residents living in the building throughout, with access at height, extended scaffold or MEWP provision, and coordination with the building’s evacuation strategy all built into the programme from the outset — not resolved on site as problems arise.
We work across a wide range of high-rise building types and façade systems:
Explore Our ACM Services :
Explore Our HPL Services :
Explore Our Rain Screen Services :
Explore Our EWI Services :
Explore Our Brick Slip Services :
Explore Our Curtain Walling Services
High-rise façades can develop a range of fire safety, weatherproofing, structural and performance issues. We investigate and remediate problems across the building envelope, from individual defects to complex façade systems.
Combustible materials within external wall systems can present significant fire safety concerns and may require replacement or other remediation measures.
Loose, damaged, displaced or deteriorating cladding can create safety, weatherproofing and building performance issues.
Missing, damaged or incorrectly installed cavity barriers and fire stopping can compromise the intended fire performance of an external wall system.
Façade defects can allow water penetration, leading to damp, deterioration, corrosion and damage to internal finishes and building components.
Curtain walling can develop failed seals, defective interfaces, movement issues and other defects affecting weather resistance and overall façade performance.
Windows, balconies, spandrel panels and junctions between different façade elements can be sources of water ingress, deterioration, thermal issues and other performance defects.
Every remediation project starts with understanding what is actually present in the external wall.
Facade condition survey and opening-up to establish construction, materials, fixing methods, defects and existing fire-safety measures.
Where appropriate, a FRAEW to PAS 9980:2022, identifying risk and compliance gaps.
Agreeing the appropriate response, from repair through to full replacement.
Developing a buildable, specified solution and preparing for delivery.
Works delivered on site, closed out with the documentation the building needs.
Where a building meets the Higher-Risk Building threshold, the Accountable Person has specific duties to assess and manage building safety risks, including the risk of fire spread through the external wall. In practice, this generally follows the same path as any façade remediation project:
Initial concern or duty to assess → survey and opening-up investigation → FRAEW to PAS 9980:2022 → remediation strategy
Trident works across design, procurement and delivery. The initial condition surveys and intrusive investigations are carried out by our sister company, Trident Facades Surveys, who specialise in façade condition surveys, opening-up investigations, PAS 9980 assessments, FRAEW and EWS1. See our Façade Surveys for Remediation page for more detail.
The appropriate remediation route depends on the findings of the survey and assessment. Options can include:
Given the scale of most high-rise elevations, full or substantial replacement is more common than on smaller buildings, though the right approach always follows from the survey findings rather than the building’s height alone.
High-rise remediation almost always takes place around residents living in the building. We plan for that from the start, including:
Funding and grant support for residential façade remediation is available in some circumstances, depending on your building’s height, location, construction and the risk identified in an assessment. Eligibility criteria can change, so it’s worth checking your building’s current position rather than relying on assumptions from a previous scheme. Use our Funding Eligibility Checker on the homepage for an initial indication of which route may apply to your building.
What counts as a "high-rise" building for façade remediation?
There’s no single fixed definition, but a common reference point is the Building Safety Act’s Higher-Risk Building threshold — generally 18 metres or more, or 7 or more storeys, with at least two residential units. Buildings below this height can still carry fire safety and remediation requirements.
Do all high-rise residential buildings need a FRAEW?
Where a high-rise building has an external wall system that could allow fire to spread, current regulations require building owners to assess that risk, typically through a FRAEW carried out to PAS 9980:2022.
What is the Accountable Person’s role in relation to the external wall?
For buildings meeting the Higher-Risk Building threshold, the Accountable Person has duties to assess and manage building safety risks, including the risk posed by the external wall, and to register the building with the Building Safety Regulator.
Can residents stay in their homes during a high-rise remediation project?
In most cases, yes. High-rise remediation is typically phased and planned to allow residents to remain in occupation, with access, evacuation strategy and disruption managed throughout the works.
Will a waking watch be needed during remediation?
This depends on the findings of the fire risk assessment and the building’s evacuation strategy, not on remediation works alone. It’s a decision for the responsible person or Accountable Person, informed by fire safety advice.
Who is responsible for coordinating remediation on a high-rise building?
Generally the freeholder, managing agent or Accountable Person, not individual leaseholders. If you’re a leaseholder concerned about your building’s façade, the right step is usually to raise it with whoever holds that responsibility directly.