Spectrum House (the former Renault Distribution Centre), Swindon
Client: MAPP Building Consultancy
Project Overview
Spectrum House (the former Renault Distribution Centre), Swindon
25,000 m²
Service: Roofing
Sector: Offices
- Approved Contractor: MLG UK Ltd
- System Installed: Polyroof Protec cold-applied liquid system
- Client: MAPP Building Consultancy
- Duration: 12 months
- Work Carried Out: Cold-applied liquid waterproofing to a listed high-tech landmark
Scope of Work
Roof refurbishment to Spectrum House in Swindon, better known as the Renault Distribution Centre, a Grade II listed building designed by Sir Norman Foster and completed in 1983. At 25,000 m² it is one of the largest roofs MLG has worked on, and one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the country to have taken a liquid system.
- 25,000 m² roof to a Grade II listed building
- Polyroof Protec cold-applied liquid system installed throughout
- Seamless solution selected to preserve the building’s appearance as well as its performance
- Delivered with the distribution centre operational
Systems installed
- Waterproofing: Protec System: cold-applied, seamless liquid membrane. Stated 30-year lifespan (Polyroof)
- Primer: SA Primer to prepared areas (Polyroof)
- Vapour barrier: SA Vapour Barrier (Polyroof)
- Insulation: HARDROCK Multi-Fix (Rockwool)
- Carrier layer: SA Carrier Layer (Polyroof)
- Walkways: ProGrip System: hard-wearing anti-slip trafficable finish in a single coat, marking safe routes in line with the integrated safety system (Polyroof)
Challenges & Constraints
A listed Foster building
Spectrum House is a Grade II listed building designed by Sir Norman Foster and completed in 1983, so any repair had to work technically without altering how the building reads.
Forty years of exposure
After four decades of exposure the roof had deteriorated across 25,000 m², one of the largest roofs MLG has worked on.
The centre kept working
The refurbishment was delivered with the distribution centre operational.
Project Execution & Techniques
One decision, two problems
A cold-applied liquid system was specified because it forms a continuous membrane that follows the existing structure rather than imposing a new profile on it, the technical need and the heritage constraint answered by the same choice.
Manufacturer brought in early
MAPP approached MLG and Polyroof together, so the system and its installation were settled as one decision rather than two.
The full Protec build-up
SA Primer was applied to prepared areas, followed by SA Vapour Barrier, Rockwool HARDROCK Multi-Fix insulation, SA Carrier Layer and the Protec cold-applied membrane.
Safe routes marked
Polyroof ProGrip, a hard-wearing anti-slip trafficable finish applied in a single coat, marked safe routes across the roof in line with the integrated safety system.
Outcome & Long-Term Benefits
Highly Commended, LRWA 2025
Highly Commended for Liquid Waterproofing Project of the Year over 1,000 m² at the LRWA Awards 2025.
NFRC national finalist
Also a finalist in the Liquid category at the NFRC UK Roofing Awards 2025.
Appearance unchanged
The system blends with the existing structure and maintains the building’s original aesthetic, which is the whole point on a listed Foster roof.
A thirty-year lifespan
The Protec system carries a stated 30-year lifespan on a roof that had gone four decades since it was built.
Conclusion
Spectrum House, the former Renault Distribution Centre, is a Grade II listed Norman Foster building from 1983 and one of the first to use an exposed steel frame and lightweight materials as both structure and aesthetic. After four decades the roof had deteriorated, but on a building like this a repair that changes how it looks is not a repair.
A cold-applied Polyroof Protec system answered both halves of the problem: a continuous membrane that follows the existing structure instead of imposing a new profile on it, across 25,000 m², with the distribution centre still working. It was Highly Commended at the LRWA Awards 2025 and a finalist at the NFRC UK Roofing Awards the same year, part of a three-year run of LRWA recognition for MLG, with McGee House a finalist in 2024 and Oatley House Highly Commended in 2026 at the opposite end of the size scale.
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