On September 1, the China Ceramics Industry Association and the Fujian Ceramics Industry Association organized a symposium in Cizao Town, Jinjiang, Fujian, the largest exterior wall tile production base in the country. Many exterior wall tiles and tile adhesive manufacturers The companies gathered together and discussed a very heavy topic: the "Catalogue of Construction Technology, Equipment and Materials (First Batch) (Draft for Comments) on the Elimination of Housing Construction and Municipal Infrastructure Projects Endangering Production Safety" issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in July (below) (referred to as "Catalogue"), which clearly prohibits exterior wall tiles on high-rise buildings.
In early July this year, the "Catalog" released by the Engineering Quality and Safety Supervision Department of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development was publicly solicited for opinions. The problems in the "cement mortar pasting process of facing bricks" were described as follows: using cement mortar to paste exterior wall facing bricks There is a safety risk of falling off, so it is proposed that it should not be used in projects where the exterior wall cladding bricks are pasted at a height higher than 15m. At the same time, a suggestion is made to use exterior wall paint as an alternative construction material.
Based on the general floor height of 2.8m, this regulation is equivalent to prohibiting the use of exterior wall bricks in high-rise buildings with more than 5 floors.
Exterior wall bricks falling off
Frequent incidents of death and injury
Not surprisingly, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development’s reason for restricting the use of exterior wall tiles is also the commonplace that exterior wall tiles pose safety risks of falling off. In fact, the peeling off of exterior wall tiles has long been the norm, causing people to worry about the falling off of high-rise tiles.
On August 23, Hangzhou media reported that people were injured in a residential community in Hangzhou due to frequent falling off of exterior wall tiles. Safety helmets were required to be worn in and out of the community;
On July 28, a pair of elderly people in Harbin were walking on the street when they were suddenly hit by an exterior wall brick falling from the 8th floor of a residential building on the street. The old lady died after rescue efforts failed;
On August 7, there was a strong wind and a thunderstorm in Yinchuan, Ningxia. The windshield and hood of Mr. Zhai’s Land Rover Evoque parked downstairs in the community were damaged by tiles falling from the exterior wall of the building. The vehicle maintenance cost is nearly 40,000 yuan;
On May 8, tiles from the exterior wall of a building in Qijiang District, Chongqing fell and hit a woman walking on the sidewalk below, killing her on the spot;
On January 1, Liu, an elderly man in Yiyang, Hunan, was hit in the head when part of a brick from the exterior wall of a building suddenly fell off. He lost a lot of blood on the spot and died after ineffective rescue. 11 owners shared the liability for compensation...
According to incomplete statistics from "Ceramic Information", there are no less than 6 incidents of exterior wall falling off reported in the newspapers every year.0 cases, resulting in numerous casualties and property losses, posing great safety risks.
In fact, falling off exterior wall tiles does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the quality of the tiles themselves. The main reason is that as a decorative material exposed to the outdoors for a long time, exterior wall tiles need to experience complex natural conditions such as wind, sun, rain, and changes in cold and heat. Over time, they are prone to the risk of hollowing out and falling off. Therefore, it can be seen that , most of the incidents of exterior wall bricks falling off occur in old residential areas.
In addition, improper construction and unqualified bonding materials may also cause hidden dangers of exterior wall tiles falling off.
Exterior wall bricks have been banned in high-rise buildings for a long time
Previously it was a requirement of local regulations
Due to safety considerations, there have been long-standing regulations prohibiting the use of exterior wall tiles in high-rise buildings. However, previously, national ministries and commissions did not have any regulations restricting the use of exterior wall tiles in high-rise buildings. However, there are corresponding requirements in local regulations in most regions across the country.
In 2007, Beijing stipulated that all high-rise buildings with more than 15 floors were prohibited from using exterior wall bricks in exterior wall decoration, and all decorations were replaced with paint;
In 2008, Jiangsu Province stipulated that the maximum application height of exterior wall insulation and pasted facing brick systems shall not exceed 40m;
In 2010, Chongqing stipulated that it is prohibited to use exterior wall bricks on the exterior walls of buildings with more than 20 floors or with a height of more than 60m facing the street, where pedestrians pass or where people gather;
In 2011, Xi'an banned the design and use of porcelain tiles for exterior wall decoration above 3 floors...
In addition, many regions such as Liaoning, Shandong, Anhui, Quanzhou in Fujian, Baoji in Shaanxi, and Tongren in Guizhou have issued corresponding regulations prohibiting or restricting the use of exterior wall tiles, but more regions only encourage the promotion of alternative products such as paint. There are no clear restrictions on the conditions for using exterior wall bricks.
For the first time in the name of a national ministry, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued regulations prohibiting the use of exterior wall tiles over 15 meters tall. The restrictions are more severe than those in most areas across the country, which means that the scope of use of exterior wall tiles will be significantly reduced again. .
Production capacity has been reduced by more than half in six years
Is the exterior wall brick in an “existential crisis”?
In fact, before the regulations of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development were promulgated, the life of exterior wall tile manufacturers was not easy.
As early as February this year, "Ceramic Information" had an in-depth analysis of the survival crisis of exterior wall tiles"Production capacity has dropped by nearly 50% in six years. Is there still a chance for exterior wall tiles?" 》(Click to view the details of the article). At that time, the number of exterior wall tile production lines nationwide had dropped sharply from 589 in 2014 to 313. The production capacity had dropped by more than half, and there was a large amount of idle production capacity.
As the main production area of exterior wall tiles in the country, Fujian still has 169 exterior wall tile production lines including restrictions in 2020. In Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Jiangxi, which have more than 10 exterior wall tile production lines, manufacturers are more concentrated, which means that only a few manufacturers are producing.
However, "Ceramic Information" learned that since this year, Fujian exterior wall tile manufacturers have once again set off a wave of line changes, and have switched to production of mid-board, floor paving, antique tiles and other products.
"Exterior wall tiles (1 square meter) originally only have a profit of more than 1 yuan. When the cost of raw materials rises, the profit is gone, and if it is not done well, it will lose money." A Fujian exterior wall tile manufacturer said helplessly.
The exterior wall brick market is mainly based on engineering projects, supplemented by self-built houses in rural areas. With the introduction of policies restricting the use of exterior wall bricks by high-rise buildings in more regions, and the promotion and use of alternative materials, the exterior wall brick market continues to shrink. Wall tile manufacturers are struggling.
However, it can be seen that in most areas where there are no clear restrictions, it is still very common for new residences below 15 floors to have exterior wall bricks, which leaves a certain living space for exterior wall bricks.
This time, the latest regulations issued directly by national ministries and commissions prohibit the use of exterior wall tiles in high-rise buildings above 15m. Once implemented, the scope of restrictions will not only be larger than most places with corresponding regulations, but will also affect all areas without clear regulations. area, this is undoubtedly another fatal blow to exterior wall brick companies.
Industry professionals:
Solve the safety problem of exterior wall tiles and seek support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
This regulation of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has attracted great attention from the ceramic industry. According to reports, the symposium held on September 1 in response to the "Catalog" of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development focused on how to solve the safety problem of adhering exterior wall facing bricks. We strived to obtain support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and finally reached several important consensuses:
In the construction industry, exterior wall tiles are an important decorative material, and it is necessary to continuously improve and solve the safety issues of exterior wall tiles.
It is necessary to improve the technical level of the construction team, strictly enforce the construction process, ensure the quality of the project, and jointly promote the ceramic tile paving safety system project.
Cancel 15 metersReplacing the above ceramic tiles and cement mortars with coatings is not the only way to ensure quality and safety, and relevant policies need to be adapted to local conditions.
(Article reproduced from Ceramic Information)
