Spectrum House - Polyroof Products Ltd

The Project Manager, MAPP, approached MLG UK Ltd and Polyroof, a UK leader in cold-applied liquid roofing systems, to breathe new life into this iconic building. With the installation of its Protec System, Polyroof provided a seamless solution that balanced the building’s technical needs with its historical importance. The liquid system blended seamlessly with the existing structure, maintaining its aesthetics. 

In the early 1980s, Renault sought to establish a cutting-edge distribution facility to match its forward-thinking brand image. Renault turned to Sir Norman Foster, whose designs were synonymous with innovation and modernity. Completed in 1983, the Renault Centre was one of the first buildings to use an exposed steel frame, glass, and lightweight materials as both structural and aesthetic elements. These characteristics typified the high-tech movement that defined the 1980s and positioned the building as a masterpiece of modern architecture.

What sets Spectrum House apart from many other listed buildings, is it role in popular culture. The Renault Centre appeared in the 1985 James Bond movie, A View to Kill, where it was featured as the headquarters of the fictional tech empire Zoirin Industries, led by the film’s villain Max Zairn, played by Christopher Walken. The building’s futuristic look made it the perfect backdrop for a high-tech villain’s lair in a classic action film. This cameo not only immortalised the building in film history but also reinforced its image as an architectural marvel of modernity. Any renovations to the building needed to respect not just its physical structure, but its cinematic legacy as well. 
Over the years, Spectrum House’s original waterproof covering, which consisted of a single-ply membrane, began to show signs of ageing, suffering from failings such as splits, delamination, pooling water, along with general wear and tear, compromising the integrity of the building below. Despite localised repairs being carried out and previous overlays, numerous leaks were reported to have made their way into the building. This presented a unique challenge: how could a roofing system be installed that would provide long-lasting protection whilst preserving the building’s unique aesthetic and listed status? Due to the long-standing relationship with MAPP and MLG, Polyroof and their team of experts were entrusted to address the critical need for a high-performance roofing system that could seamlessly resolve the long-standing issues of water ingress, deterioration, and complex roof detailing – challenges that required an innovative solution.

Key Challenges 
Architectural complexity: The high-tech design features multiple elevations, skylights, and mechanical systems. The exposed support structure above the roof level relied on 59 suspension anchors, requiring a flexible solution that only the capabilities of a liquid-applied membrane could accommodate. 
 
Historical preservation: as a listed building, all refurbishments had to comply with heritage preservation guidelines. Owing to the restrictions around modifications, this meant the roof’s falls could not be altered. Therefore, a solution that was impervious to standing water was required, which tended to accumulate in the many valleys present on the roof that fed via internal outlets to the unusual internal drainage system. 
 
Operational continuity: Spectrum House remained an active facility throughout the project, so minimal operational disruption by any roofing works was required.

Project timeframe: The sheer size of the roof meant the projected timeframe for the refurbishment was significantly long. This required the technological advancement of a liquid solution with a wide permitted temperature application range, to ensure the same product could be installed during the heat of summer and cold of winter, so the installation could be completed in the most efficient manner. Polyroof’s range of cold liquid-applied membranes are ideally suited to installation all year round, with the ability to be used in conjunction with their innovative low temperature accelerator and summer inhibitor technology. This in effect mitigated the risk of delays due to fluctuations in outdoor temperature, isolating any downtime to weather conditions such as rainfall. The result was a project that was finished far quicker by utilising a liquid-applied membrane, taking ten months in total. 
 
Polyroof’s Protec System was the ideal choice to meet these complex requirements. As a cold-applied liquid membrane, Protec provides a seamless, joint-free finish that is perfect for the roof’s unulating surface and intricate details found at Spectrum House. This system not only addressed the waterproofing needs but also helped with the natural movement of the building’s humongous size, along with respecting its historical and cultural importance.

Key Benefits 
Seamless application: The Protec System forms a continuous waterproof membrane without any seams, joints, or welds, and impervious to water, which was critical for preventing leaks in a roof with such intricate details. 

Durability: The system boasts a 30-year lifespan, ensuring Spectrum House will be protected well into the future. 
 
Cold-applied membrane: With no risk of hot works during the installation, this ensured both safety for the installers as well as the building’s delicate structure.

Versatile: The Protec System is designed to adhere seamlessly to complex substrates, with Spectrum House being a prime example of its versatility.

Initial inspection and planning: Polyroof’s technical experts conducted a detailed inspection of the roof, identifying key areas that needed attention. The phased approach was planned to minimise disruptions to day-to-day activities. An independent thermographic survey carried out by a third party identified areas of moisture ingress in various locations across the roof, which enabled the installers to remove them locally as opposed to stripping the entire roof build up. Not only did this reduce the amount of additional waste onsite, but also the impact on the building and its operations within.

Surface preparation: The installers set about the complex process of stripping back the existing roof at specified areas to the metal roof deck and removing the damaged material from site. These particular locations were then primed with Polyroof SA Primer before installing the Polyroof SA Vapour Barrier, The Rockwool HARDROCK Multi-Fix insulation, and the Polyroof SA Carrier Layer.

Seamless membrane application: The cold liquid-applied membrane was installed using advanced techniques to ensure it adapted to the roof’s complex elevations and penetrations. The seamless approach ensured no weak points for potential leaks. The application of the Protec System fully encapsulated the multiple structural anchor points that were present in the iconic design, due to the system’s flexible nature and application method. This entailed each of the 59 suspension anchors being terminated into the surface four times at each corner, resulting in a total of 236 complex details across the vast roof surface. Additionally, there were 42 rooflights present that required the contractors to dress the system to, in order to provide a fully waterproof finish.

RapidCure technology: Thanks to the system’s extremely fast application capabilities, with cure times as low as 30 minutes, this allowed the refurbishment to be completed faster than traditional methods, ensuring minimal downtime for the client. This is especially important in live commercial environments where the risk to operational disruption from such works is significantly high. Additionally, the installers were challenged with adverse weather conditions, meaning they had to work around periods of rainfall. This was of no consequence for the Protec System, however, as its RapidCure technology enables contractors to apply the membrane around periods of poor weather.

Safety-first approach: The roof houses important equipment and includes rooflights, which are regularly cleaned and inspected, therefore, it was crucial that the new waterproofing system included a hard-wearing, clear trafficable surface. The Polyroof ProGrip System, which provides a durable anti-slip resistant finish in just a single coat, was specified to distinctly highlight all safe routes on the roof, in-line with the integrated safety system.

Heritage Meets Innovation: The Perfect Match for a Listed Building

Renovating a Grade II listed building presents unique challenges as every aspect of the structure must be preserved to maintain its architectural integrity. The Protec System was an ideal match for Spectrum House, as it could be applied without altering the building’s external appearance. The cold-applied liquid membrane ensured the original structural elements – skylights, steel supports, and rooflines – remained untouched. Polyroof’s solution was not only effective in modernising the roof but also aligned with the heritage preservations principles required for listed buildings.

Pop Culture, Preservation, and Performance: A Roof Fit for the Future

Spectrum House is arguably the greatest liquid roofing project of all time, with the installation of Polyroof’s Protec System meaning the building is now ready to face the next several decades, all whilst maintaining its position as both a functional space and a cultural icon. This is not just a project, but a marvellous achievement for all involved as the successful installation ensured that this architectural gem remains watertight and structurally sound, without compromising its unique design or cinematic heritage.

Polyroof’s innovative Protec System not only met the complex demands of the Spectrum House roof, but also preserved the building’s architectural and cultural legacy. This project stands as a testament to the power of modern roofing technology when paired with a respect for heritage, ensuring that Spectrum House will continue to inspire future generations.