The structural design of tall buildings should change in the wake of the World Trade Centre collapse, a report said this week.
Safety in Tall Buildings, written by a group convened by the Institution of Structural Engineers, says that in future skyscrapers should be able to survive attacks of the kind witnessed in New York.

The report adds that fire protection should be improved and better means of escape found. It also concludes that tougher cladding and glazing must be used.

John Roberts, director of engineering at Babtie Group and chair of the group that produced the report, said the structure of skyscrapers and tall buildings was paramount to safety.

He said: “If a building collapses, you can wave goodbye to questions about whether its fire escapes are functioning properly.”