Construction firm Beard has started work on the Grade II listed Spectrum Building in Swindon, previously used as a James Bond filming location.
The £4.7m project will see the award-winning contractor complete an external refurbishment of the 260,000 square feet building, including its iconic yellow steel ‘umbrella masts’ and frame.
In addition to the installation of a new liquid-applied roof coating, the project will include the refurbishment and decoration of the external cladding and fire escapes. Internally, the Beard team will also be overhauling the existing M&E (mechanical and electrical) and fire systems.
The eye-catching building was designed by Sir Norman Foster for French car manufacturer Renault. It opened as the Renault Centre in 1982 and became a listed building in 2013, embodying the characteristics and design language of the British ‘High Tech Movement’.
Its moment on the silver screen came when the building was used for scenes in the 1985 James Bond film ‘A View to a Kill’, starring Roger Moore as 007.
The Swindon-based firm has already started refreshing the look of the historic building, working closely with Davis Roofing to install the Polyroof liquid system and both Bagnalls Decorations and Just Spray to redecorate the steel frame and silver wall panels.
Due to its Grade II listing, colour matching the iconic yellow paint for the steel frame presented its own challenges. Using an inconspicuous area inside the building, both Beard and Bagnalls were able to test multiple samples and find the perfect match.
The team at Beard is working closely with the building’s managers MAPP Building Consultancy and other key partners to complete the project.
Jamie Harwood, Beard’s Swindon director, said: “As a proud Swindon firm with roots dating back more than 130 years in the town, we’re immensely proud to be involved in the regeneration of another one of Swindon’s most iconic buildings. While it may not be your traditional listed building, it still presents its own challenges and calls upon our expertise in the heritage sector to ensure the project is completed both sensitively and to the very highest of standards.”
Alex Herrmann, partner at MAPP Building Consultancy, added: “MAPP is very proud and excited to be part of the refurbishment of this historic and architecturally important building. The intense scrutiny on sustainability and the changing way occupiers are interacting with the built environment has made refurbishments such as this even more important.
“Beard has an established track record in the region and with similar specialised projects and structures. We are pleased to partner with them on this project to give this iconic building a new lease of life.”
The start on site follows the completion of another historic project in Swindon for Beard. The team has just completed the second phase of regeneration at Brunel’s iconic Carriage Works in the town. Just outside Swindon, the contractor is currently working on a second phase of redevelopment at Marlborough College, one of the UK’s most prestigious co-educational independent full boarding schools.
Established in 1892, Beard is a family-owned company with headquarters in Swindon and offices in Bristol, Oxford and Guildford. The firm will soon expand its reach with the addition of an office on the south coast in 2024.