A report on how to fix a series of leaks, cracks and faults with the roof of Portcullis House is reportedly due within weeks after a “deluge” of water flooded the parliamentary office building last month.
The building, near Westminster station and opposite the Palace of Westminster, was completed in August 2000 at a cost of £235million. It was expected to last for 200 years when it opened in 2001.
It’s part of the parliamentary estate, and houses MPs’ offices, with a central courtyard covered by a glass roof.
But the glazed roof has had a number of issues, including broken panes, falling bolts and most recently leaking.
In July a flood of water broke through the glass roof while MPs were holding meetings in the courtyard. A witness said there had been a big bang followed by a “deluge” of water after a pane of glass broke.
House of Commons Commission spokesperson Sir Charles Walker said last month that there have been 12 leaks in the roof and three breakages since 2019.
Mr Walker said in a parliamentary answer in May that the electrical and mechanical systems are also due to be replaced at a cost of up to £143million.
The repairs project “will undertake a series of lifecycle replacement works to mechanical and electrical systems within PCH, including, for example, systems linked to heating, cooling and ventilation”.
He added: “The roof project is at the feasibility stage, investigating the defects within the glazed panel roof and the main roof. Following the investigation, options will be developed to address the findings.”
He said the costs for repairing the roof are unknown at this stage.
Ceiling of Portcullis house just cracked open and water pouring in! pic.twitter.com/e6CH8G9KnI
— Natasha Porter OBE (@NPorter_) July 11, 2023
Sir Vince Cable, the former business secretary who had an MP’s office in Portcullis House for nearly two decades, told the Guardian: “It is a beautiful design, but because of the way it’s structured it is incredibly difficult to repair.
“Any little leak causes a flood underneath. Somebody needs to be held accountable for the original commissioning and oversight of the building.”
Mr Cable recalled the building’s “primitive plumbing” and how toilets “were often blocked and closed for maintenance”.
In 2014 it was revealed that repairs to cracks in the roof cost £36,000 over five years.
A report will consider ways to fix issues in the roof and is due this month, the Guardian reports.
In the meantime the building, which was designed by the late architect Sir Michael Hopkins and engineers Arup, remains safe to visit and work in.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “Portcullis House is one of the most heavily used buildings within the Parliamentary Estate, providing critical facilities for Members, Committees and staff. With the building now over 20 years old, a number of essential works are required, including replacing services and systems within the building as they reach the end of their expected life.
“Parliament is currently at the early stages of this project, scoping out requirements which will inform a finalised programme of works and budgets at a later stage. Figures currently cited are only indicative, and as with all major works in Parliament, final schedules and budgets will be scrutinised through regular updates to relevant Member Committees, as well as through the House’s financial reporting channels.”
“The project will ensure Portcullis House can continue to provide safe, secure, serviceable and reliable facilities that provide sufficient capacity to meet the long-term needs of the House and ensure sustainability targets are adhered to where practicable.”
MPs have also yet to decide on the long-term plan for the renovations of the Houses of Parliament.
A 2022 report by an independant sponsor body showed that restoring the crumbling Victorian Palace of Westminster without finding a new home for MPs could take up to 76 years and cost £22 billion.
A restoration and renewal board tasked with identifying options for future works is due to report by the end of the year.
The House of Commons Commission has been approached for comment.
