The government’s ban on using combustible materials in external walls of high-rise residential towers could stymie the use of innovative products such as photovoltaic panels and green walls, according to a leading designer.

The ban was introduced a year ago in response to the Grenfell disaster in 2017 in which 72 people lost their lives.

But Rob Buck, façade design associate at Arup, told the latest Building Live panel debate on façade safety that the current testing regime was limited in scope and failed to consider how a particular product was going to be used.

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