Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex

Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex
Jonathan ChancellorDecember 7, 2020

The upmarket Ikon apartment block in Potts Point is the latest Sydney apartment block to find it has dangerous combustible cladding.

The building is spending $420,000 on rectification 15 years after its construction by Mirvac.

The report lodged seeking permission with Sydney City Council notes, based on the risk assessment and inspection by Red Fire Engineers, suggests certain sections of aluminium composite panelling must be removed and replaced with non-combustible panelling.

Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex

"These remediation works are necessary as the currently installed panels present an undue risk of fire spread via the external façade, which do not meet the requirements of the BCA for attachments to an external wall."

Apartments prices recently peaked at $16 million.

A one bedder was sold at a record $2.15 million last July, although no settlement paperwork has yet to emerge at the LTO on the third floor apartment that was recently up for $850 a week rental.

The results from the testing presented in the report by CSIRO, indicate that the core materials in all ACPs would be deemed combustible if tested to AS 1530.1- 1994.

"It is concluded that the ACP is combustible and present an undue risk of fire spread via the external façade, which does not meet the requirements of BCA Clause 2.4 in Specification C1.1 for attachments to an external wall achieving an FRL.

"In our opinion, The Ikon Apartments building presents a high risk of undue fire spread via the façade. This is because:

  • The external façade system contains combustible components extending the full height of the building.

  • A fire involving the façade could spread to multiple levels of the building through the windows and other openings.

  • The cladding is installed near the exits, including wrapping around the south stair, therefore a fire has the potential to block exits."

The report suggested, while low, there was a risk of a fire catastrophe.

Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex

Bellevue Hill is an 18 storey Mirvac built high-rise developed in on the site on what once stood the Chevron.

There are 185 residential spaces with an indoor heated pool, spa, sauna and gym.

Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex

Many of the open-plan residences have been curated by acclaimed interior designers and feature sun-catching outdoor areas, with balcony views.

Ikon has gone from being 60 percent investors to 80 percent owner-occupied.

The bulk of the risky cladding is on its southside, with the top four storeys having openings into bedrooms.

The cladding installed on the northeast corner of the building is in close proximity to an adjacent building, Rockwall Apartments.

Fire catastrophe risk at Mirvac's Ikon, Potts Point apartment complex

The risky cladding is even at its street front lobby entrance where the body corporate plan a more "subtle" than the exisiting bright red cladding currently in place.

It is understood Mirvac claim the Macleay Street building's cladding complied with relevant rules at the time it was built.

News.com.au reported last December that residents of The Quay in Sydney’s Haymarket were considering legal action in the Supreme Court of NSW against builder Parkview Constructions and Chinese developer Ausbao.

The Quay, a 282-unit, mixed-use development built on the site of the old poultry section of Paddy’s Market in Chinatown, was one of 435 identified as “potentially high-risk” by the NSW government’s Cladding Taskforce earlier last year.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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