BBC Cardiff Sector: Media, Leisure and Tourism Establishing an environment where creativity, collaboration and functionality are key The new BBC Cymru Wales headquarters building, officially known as ‘3 Central Square’ is located in Central Square, Cardiff. The building was designed by Foster & Partners, with the interior design by Sheppard Robson and Overbury completing the fit-out. Spanning four floors and 150,000 square feet, it provides office, studio and production space for approximately 1,200 staff. Brief When BBC Cymru Wales moved to their new headquarters in Cardiff, they wanted to create a state-of-the-art fully open-plan workplace: a highly flexible, energy efficient environment that engendered creativity, collaboration (particularly departmental) and inspiration. They needed a functional and practical workspace where employees could meet, get together for casual conversation or tackle the big projects, eg. furniture that accommodated the different needs of all departments - some being paper heavy and others requiring secure storage for media and technical equipment. Solutions As personal storage was a key issue (there are 1,200 employees and only 730 desks), Bisley provided lockers, fitted with postal slots and digital combination locks, for each individual, allowing employees to store their belongings securely. Bisley also supplied bespoke LateralFile storage units which were used to divide areas for specific teams. These storage units were modified to deliver the exact requirements for each department’s needs. Additionally, to encourage collaboration we also included writable glass surfaces on the tall storage units to the reverse and sides. Within the secure area of the building, which was designated for team storage, including high value production equipment, Bisley used heavy-duty racking and mesh partitioning to create managed and self-service areas. Results With the limited number of desks, our Lateralfile lodges allowed staff members to have a permanent anchor, giving them flexibility, as well as a feeling of security and wellbeing. The LateralFile storage units were able to create the necessary division between departments without being obtrusive. Additionally, due to the inherent flexibility of LateralFile, it also allowed Bisley to tailor a limited number of cabinet sizes to a wider range of department specific storage solutions across the project. Regular project meetings with the design team, BBC project team and heads of department to deliver a fully catered solution to the project, meant that all products were installed on time and ready for staff occupation.
