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Renault Building, (now known as Spectrum) Swindon
Towards the end of 2006 syphonic drainage specialists Fullflow won the contract to design, manufacture and install a syphonic rainwater drainage system onto Sir Norman Foster’s Renault Building in Wiltshire. The impressive Grade 2 listed building was built between 1980 and 1982 and has been described as Norman Foster Associates’ most “playful” structure. The building has won a total of 4 awards including the prestigious Financial Times ‘Architecture at Work’ Award in 1984 and the Constructa Prize for Industrial Architecture in Europa in 1986.
The Renault Building was originally drained using a traditional gravity system, however as a consequence of a large amount of rainfall the building was subjected to flooding. As a result Fullflow replaced the original gravity system with a new syphonic rainwater drainage system that would be able to cope with a vast quantity of rainwater. The syphonic rainwater drainage system was required to drain a total roof area of 13500m² and as this was a refurbishment the system had to be incorporated onto the existing roof of the building. The syphonic system installed was designed for a maximum rainfall intensity of 187mm/hr providing a 50 year return period and which required a total of 18 downpipes.
The French car manufacturers used the building as their main UK distribution facility. In addition to the warehouse the building also includes a showroom, training school, workshops offices and a staff restaurant. Foster Associates created such a memorable image that the building did not need to carry the Renault logo, in fact the building was so closely associated with the brand that for many years Renault used it as a backdrop in its advertising campaigns. In 2001 Renault transferred their operations to the Midlands and sold the Renault Building, now known as Spectrum, to the Chinese Government in 2004.
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