Built in 1983 and designed by the renowned architect Norman Foster, the instantly recognisable former Renault Buildings' bright yellow exo-skeleton has become synonymous with tensions structures.
Now known as the Spectrum Building, the innovative 288m long building which houses offices, a restaurant, showroom and training centre as well as warehouse space is supported by 360 Macalloy tendons with fork connectors at either end.
One of the first projects to use this kind of structural steel work, the building has won numerous awards including the Structural Steel Award (1984) and the Civic Trust Award (1984).
Forty-two identical units measuring 24 x 24 metres are suspended from 16-metre high masts. The structure's welded reconstituted beams and ties are all articulated between the masts. Glazed openings in the roof provide natural ceiling lighting and underscore the visible structure. Similarly, the opaque roof spans rest on steel roofing components that are left visible on their underside. The solid façades are made of polyurethane foam sandwiched between two sheets of steel.
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