A parliament building completed just 22 years ago requires multi-million pound refurbishment work due to design flaws, according to a newspaper report.
A study commissioned by the authorities in charge of Portcullis House has called for temporary and permanent works to make it safe, writes the Guardian.
Designed by Hopkins and opened in 2001, the imposing £235m building includes offices, committee rooms and an underground link to the Palace of Westminster opposite.
The latest study reportedly calls for a “complete overhaul” of a leaky main roof and warns of atrium glazing with “serious structural flaws”.
“The original design of the building did not fully consider the need for safe access to the exterior of the main roof,” the Guardian says citing the study. “Over time, this has led to the lack of maintenance of the main deck and its current poor condition.”
Meanwhile, House of Commons authorities are now adding netting to the underside of the roof of the Portcullis House atrium “to prevent glass falling on people”, the article added.
“There is water ingress in many areas, including members’ offices,” the report said. “The main deck needs a complete overhaul in terms of waterproofing and safe access.”
A deputy he warned earlier this year that upcoming work to overhaul Portcullis House’s mechanical and electrical systems could cost up to £143m. The House of Commons has been contacted Construction news to comment on the latest report.
The troubled state of the building is yet another headache for those responsible for maintaining the parliamentary estate, at a time when a radical rescue plan is required to save the crumbling Palace of Westminster.
The Public Accounts Commission in May advised that “years of procrastination” in organizing a program to renovate the UK’s main seat of power had increased the risk that it would become irrecoverable.
