The Defence Secretary has confirmed that Portuguese firm TEKEVER will open the UK’s largest drone production facility in the Spectrum Building, which underwent a £4.7 million refurbishment by Beard in 2023-24.
The Spectrum Building is a Grade II* listed landmark, 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’.
The building made cinema history when it was used for scenes in the 1985 James Bond film ‘A View to a Kill’, starring Roger Moore as 007.
Starting in 2023, Beard undertook an external refurbishment of the 260,000 sq. ft. building. During the renovation work, our teams refurbished its iconic yellow steel umbrella masts and frame, installed a new liquid applied roof coating, and overhauled the existing M&E and fire systems.
We are now progressing with survey and enabling works to support Phase 2 of the 250,000 sq/ft building.
With Phase 2 now underway at the Spectrum Building, including survey and enabling works, we continue to strengthen our position at the forefront of the defence sector.
Matthew Bennett, Pre-construction Manager
TEKEVER - which has its main bases in Portugal and UK - recently announced it would be opening this new facility as part of a £400m investment in British drone production and advanced AI warfare capabilities.
The hub will create hundreds of skilled jobs locally and strengthen Britain’s sovereign defence manufacturing base. We're delighted to see this project come to fruition, and set to play such a large role in Swindon's future.
