UC Riverside’s Spieth Hall has a new roof and an improved fume hood exhaust system as part of a recently completed renovation project.

Replacing the aged roof on the building, which was built in 1957, was a major portion of the work, which began in summer 2022 and was completed this month.

The old roof had leaks and areas where puddles would accumulate, said Fernando Nunez, a project manager with the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction.

“That roof was in bad shape and needed to be addressed,” he said.

Most of the old roof was kept intact with minimal demolition. A foam-based spray that solidifies to a two-inch thick insulation layer was added on top with four coats of elastomeric paint coating over it.

The new roof provides more protection against the weather and comes with a 20-year warranty. It features a system of drains and was sloped to prevent future leaks and puddling.

The project also included the replacement of multiple existing fume hood exhaust systems on the roof with a new manifold exhaust system. The large stainless steel and galvanized metal equipment covers almost the entirety of the roof and has the ability to support additional fume hoods that may be added  to the system in the future.

The new system, which included the installation of new indoor fan coil units, new condenser units, and programmable thermostats for cold rooms used by researchers, will be more reliable with less downtime for maintenance or repairs, Nunez said. 

The project is the latest in a series of renovations on campus by the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction to upgrade older buildings. A modernization project is underway at Batchelor Hall while a renovation of Pierce Hall was completed in 2021.