The Roundhouse, London

ITP’s Powerlon UV 145 FR façade membrane has been chosen to provide breathable solar protection for a new creative centre at the Roundhouse in London, a legendary music venue which is steeped in cultural history.

From its Victorian beginnings as a steam-engine repair shed, the Roundhouse became an iconic building providing the backdrop to concerts by Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Pink Floyd in the 1960s and 1970s. The Grade II listed venue re-opened in 2006 following a £30m refurbishment, hosting the likes of Amy Winehouse, Little Simz and The Chemical Brothers to re-establish it as one of London’s most iconic performance spaces.

The site’s latest transformation has been delivered in the form of the Roundhouse Works, a new facility including three large rehearsal spaces for young theatre makers, musicians, film makers, circus and performance artists plus a dedicated podcast studio run by Transmission Roundhouse.

It has doubled the capacity of the current site to support 15,000 young people. The estate includes the Ronson Studio, a specially designed space for music-based youth programmes, and the Richard Mintz Studio, a dedicated home for skills sessions, seminars, and activities for workspace users. Alongside these facilities, a new Backstage Studio will offer a triple-height studio with an aerial rig for large-scale performing arts skills development.

Main contractor, Borras Construction, specified Powerlon UV 145 FR for the façade at the Roundhouse Works, with Eden Facades overseeing the installation of timber cladding and metal profile cladding. Specialist architectural joinery company, Simpson & Liddard, also supported construction. ITP’s Powerlon UV 145 FR is a breathable membrane engineered to provide a flame-retardant solution for the long-term protection of the building envelope. Designed for installations behind open or closed ventilated rainscreens and facades, the product is highly UV resistant with superior durability compared to conventional breather membranes. The system is independently tested to meet a Euroclass B-s3,d0 fire safety rating.

ITP Account Manager, Marisa Schofield, said:

“ITP are proud to be involved in the latest development of this famous world-class venue. The new centre will support young people with their early careers, providing a space for them to explore their creative interests, meet and collaborate. We have supplied our UV resistant membranes for some of London’s most exciting and creative building projects. The Roundhouse Works can now be added to that list.”

Powerlon UV 145 FR is one of a wide range of options available within ITP’s range of building protection systems. The company also supplies flame-retardant Euroclass A and B breather membranes, flame-retardant Euroclass A and B vapour control layers, roofing underlays, house wraps and ground barrier membranes.