Broadcasting House
Encyclopedia
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office
of the BBC
in Portland Place
and Langham Place, London
.
The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience. The radio stations BBC Radio 3
, BBC Radio 4
, and BBC Radio 4 Extra are also broadcast from studios within the building.
designed the building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M T Tudsbery. The original interiors were the work of Raymond McGrath
, an Australian-Irish architect. He directed a team which included Serge Chermayeff
and Wells Coates
and designed the vaudeville studio, the associated green and dressing rooms, and the dance and chamber music studios in a flowing Art Deco
style. It was later said of his efforts that "the designs for the BBC gave the first real fillip to industrial design in England".
The radio studios were arranged in a central location and constructed of Portland stone. The remainder of the building was steel framed and faced with Portland stone on the outside. These areas housed the offices, so that they could be both away from the noise of the radio operations, and have access to daylight. Objections by local residents also caused the structure to be changed. The east side of the building blocked out the light to local residents, and after complaints and seeking the right of ancient lights, the building was altered so that the east side of the building had a sloped roof. Underground structures, including hundred year old sewers, presented problems during construction. The building was built atop the Bakerloo line
of the London Underground
, while the Victoria line
was in turn tunnelled beneath Broadcasting House in the 1960s, and has since presented problems for construction of the Egton Wing (see below). Noise from passing trains is audible within the radio theatre, but generally imperceptible in recordings.
The ground floor of the building was fitted with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the street, as it was believed that to finance such a project (costing £25,000,000 in today's money) they would need to let the ground floor as a retail unit. The rapid expansion of the BBC meant this never occurred.
The original building also showcases a number of works of art, most prominently the statues of Prospero
and Ariel (from Shakespeare
's The Tempest) by Eric Gill
. Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician and scholar, and Ariel, a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. There was, reportedly, controversy over some features of the statues when first built and they were said to have been subsequently modified. They were reported to have been sculpted by Gill as God and Man, rather than simply Prospero and Ariel, and that there is a small carved picture of a beautiful girl on the back of the statue of Prospero. Additional carvings of Ariel can be found on the building's exterior in many bas-reliefs, some by Gill, others by Gilbert Bayes
. The reception area also contains a statue of 'The sower' also by Gill.
The original structure is now a Grade II* listed building, and the BBC works with English Heritage
on its maintenance.
which would relocate from Television Centre; the BBC World Service
, relocating from Bush House, and BBC Radio
, with the exception of BBC Radio 5 Live
and its sister station 5 Live Sports Extra.
To make way for the renovation, BBC Radio 2
and BBC 6 Music
moved from Broadcasting House to newly built studios in the nearby Western House, with the intention of returning to Broadcasting House when the lease runs out in 2013.
The building work was completed in two phases, however it began with the demolition of two post-war extensions to the building.
In the old building, the sloped east roof was taken off, and many of the rooms stripped back to their walls, although much of the Art Deco architecture was retained and preserved. Much of the work focused on the lower walls and ceilings which did not feature Art Deco architecture. The reception area was renovated to include a new desk, while retaining the message and statue as the attention piece of the room. Many rooms had ceilings removed, such as the south tower, and new reinforcement joists were added.
The new Egton wing was roughly the same shape as the main Broadcasting House building, featuring a modern design and window arrangement, but retaining some features such as the Portland stone used for the building. Towards the rear of the building, a large block was created in the side, mirroring that created in the main building, when the sloping roof was removed.
The design of the new extension, intended to equal in "architectural creativity" that already on site was carried out by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard. Construction was completed in 2006 and the newly refurbished Broadcasting House, and the newly completed Egton wing were opened by Queen Elizabeth II
on 20 April 2006 as part of her 80th birthday celebrations. All areas of the Egton Wing were fully fitted out and completed by 2007.
The second phase of the project was the creation of a huge wing to the rear of the building, joining the two buildings, and creating a plaza between them. It is this extension that will contain the BBC News
and Journalism departments. The new building will contain state of the art technical equipment and new studios to house the BBC News bulletins on television, the BBC News Channel as well as BBC World News, the BBC Arabic Television
service and the BBC Persian Television
service. At the heart of this is a new, pillarless newsroom, the largest live newsroom in the world.
A walkway above the newsroom would also allow the public to view the work of journalists, while connecting the foyer to the Radio Theatre and a new café for staff and the public. This, complemented by the outdoor plaza, which could act as an outdoor arena and theatre, is designed to engage the public with the television and radio making process.
The construction work was completed by Bovis Lend Lease
.
The original architects were sacked and replaced by the BBC for not agreeing to cost-related revisions as Sir Richard MacCormac was unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design. While the rebuilding process was underway, many of the BBC Radio stations moved to other buildings near Portland Place
. The extension is glass covered in the plaza area and curved to contrast both wings either side and to continue the glass found on both sides high up the building. On the Portland Place side, it continues the same use of Portland stone and glass seen in Egton wing. Construction work was completed in 2010, with control handed over to the BBC in 2011. The building is now being fitted out with the required technical equipment.
and is a memorial to all of the BBC journalists killed in the line of duty. Called Breathing, it includes words from a poem by James Fenton
and is illuminated day and night. At 10pm daily, in line with the BBC News at Ten, a column of light shines 900 metres into the sky. It was officially unveiled on the 16 June 2008 by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
.
Registered office
Registered office is a term used to describe the address which is registered with the government registrar as the official address of a company, an association or any other legal entity. Generally it will form part of the public record...
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
and Langham Place, London
Langham Place, London
Langham Place is a street in Westminster, central London, England. It connects Portland Place to the north with Regent Street to the south in London's West End.- Buildings :...
.
The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience. The radio stations BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
, BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, and BBC Radio 4 Extra are also broadcast from studios within the building.
Construction
Construction of Broadcasting House began in 1932, and the building opened to the BBC's offices and radio operations on 14 May 1934, eight years after the corporation's establishment. George Val MyerVal Myer
George Val Myer was a British Architect and portrait painter appointed by the British Broadcasting Corporation to design one of the first purpose built broadcast buildings in the world, Broadcasting House, Langham Place, London completed in 1932....
designed the building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M T Tudsbery. The original interiors were the work of Raymond McGrath
Raymond McGrath
Raymond McGrath was an Australian-born architect and interior designer who for the greater part of his career was Principal Architect for the Office of Public Works in Ireland.-Life:...
, an Australian-Irish architect. He directed a team which included Serge Chermayeff
Serge Chermayeff
Serge Ivan Chermayeff was a Russian born, British architect, industrial designer, writer, and co-founder of several architectural societies, including the American Society of Planners and Architects....
and Wells Coates
Wells Coates
Wells Wintemute Coates OBE was an architect, designer and writer. He was, for most of his life, an ex-patriate Canadian architect who is best known for his work in England...
and designed the vaudeville studio, the associated green and dressing rooms, and the dance and chamber music studios in a flowing Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. It was later said of his efforts that "the designs for the BBC gave the first real fillip to industrial design in England".
The radio studios were arranged in a central location and constructed of Portland stone. The remainder of the building was steel framed and faced with Portland stone on the outside. These areas housed the offices, so that they could be both away from the noise of the radio operations, and have access to daylight. Objections by local residents also caused the structure to be changed. The east side of the building blocked out the light to local residents, and after complaints and seeking the right of ancient lights, the building was altered so that the east side of the building had a sloped roof. Underground structures, including hundred year old sewers, presented problems during construction. The building was built atop the Bakerloo line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
of the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, while the Victoria line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
was in turn tunnelled beneath Broadcasting House in the 1960s, and has since presented problems for construction of the Egton Wing (see below). Noise from passing trains is audible within the radio theatre, but generally imperceptible in recordings.
The ground floor of the building was fitted with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the street, as it was believed that to finance such a project (costing £25,000,000 in today's money) they would need to let the ground floor as a retail unit. The rapid expansion of the BBC meant this never occurred.
The original building also showcases a number of works of art, most prominently the statues of Prospero
Prospero
Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare.- The Tempest :Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, who was put to sea on "a rotten carcass of a butt [boat]" to die by his usurping brother, Antonio, twelve years before the play begins. Prospero and Miranda survived,...
and Ariel (from Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's The Tempest) by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
. Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician and scholar, and Ariel, a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. There was, reportedly, controversy over some features of the statues when first built and they were said to have been subsequently modified. They were reported to have been sculpted by Gill as God and Man, rather than simply Prospero and Ariel, and that there is a small carved picture of a beautiful girl on the back of the statue of Prospero. Additional carvings of Ariel can be found on the building's exterior in many bas-reliefs, some by Gill, others by Gilbert Bayes
Gilbert Bayes
Gilbert William Bayes RA was a British sculptor and medalist.-Career:Born in London into a family of artists, Bayes' lengthy and illustrious career began as a student under Sir George Frampton and Harry Bates, and so became associated with the British New Sculpture movement and its focus on...
. The reception area also contains a statue of 'The sower' also by Gill.
The original structure is now a Grade II* listed building, and the BBC works with English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on its maintenance.
Renovation
Broadcasting House is currently undergoing a major renovation, aiming to restore the original building and combine a number of the BBC's operations in a newly built extension. Upon completion, the building will house the television and radio operations of BBC NewsBBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
which would relocate from Television Centre; the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, relocating from Bush House, and BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, with the exception of BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and its sister station 5 Live Sports Extra.
To make way for the renovation, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
moved from Broadcasting House to newly built studios in the nearby Western House, with the intention of returning to Broadcasting House when the lease runs out in 2013.
The building work was completed in two phases, however it began with the demolition of two post-war extensions to the building.
First phase
The first phase consisted of the restoration of the original building, by now starting to show its age and needing structural repair, and the building of the new East, or Egton wing.In the old building, the sloped east roof was taken off, and many of the rooms stripped back to their walls, although much of the Art Deco architecture was retained and preserved. Much of the work focused on the lower walls and ceilings which did not feature Art Deco architecture. The reception area was renovated to include a new desk, while retaining the message and statue as the attention piece of the room. Many rooms had ceilings removed, such as the south tower, and new reinforcement joists were added.
The new Egton wing was roughly the same shape as the main Broadcasting House building, featuring a modern design and window arrangement, but retaining some features such as the Portland stone used for the building. Towards the rear of the building, a large block was created in the side, mirroring that created in the main building, when the sloping roof was removed.
The design of the new extension, intended to equal in "architectural creativity" that already on site was carried out by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard. Construction was completed in 2006 and the newly refurbished Broadcasting House, and the newly completed Egton wing were opened by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 20 April 2006 as part of her 80th birthday celebrations. All areas of the Egton Wing were fully fitted out and completed by 2007.
Second phase
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
and Journalism departments. The new building will contain state of the art technical equipment and new studios to house the BBC News bulletins on television, the BBC News Channel as well as BBC World News, the BBC Arabic Television
BBC Arabic Television
BBC Arabic Television is a news and information television channel broadcast to the Middle East by the BBC. It was launched at 0956 GMT on 11 March 2008. The service was announced in October 2005 and was to start broadcasting in Autumn 2007, but was delayed...
service and the BBC Persian Television
BBC Persian Television
BBC Persian Television is the BBC's Persian language news channel that was launched on 14 January 2009. The service can be accessed through satellite television, and is aimed at the 100 million Persian speakers in Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan....
service. At the heart of this is a new, pillarless newsroom, the largest live newsroom in the world.
A walkway above the newsroom would also allow the public to view the work of journalists, while connecting the foyer to the Radio Theatre and a new café for staff and the public. This, complemented by the outdoor plaza, which could act as an outdoor arena and theatre, is designed to engage the public with the television and radio making process.
The construction work was completed by Bovis Lend Lease
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
.
The original architects were sacked and replaced by the BBC for not agreeing to cost-related revisions as Sir Richard MacCormac was unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design. While the rebuilding process was underway, many of the BBC Radio stations moved to other buildings near Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
. The extension is glass covered in the plaza area and curved to contrast both wings either side and to continue the glass found on both sides high up the building. On the Portland Place side, it continues the same use of Portland stone and glass seen in Egton wing. Construction work was completed in 2010, with control handed over to the BBC in 2011. The building is now being fitted out with the required technical equipment.
Journalists' Memorial
Atop the roof of the new Egton wing of Broadcasting House, mirroring the radio mast, is a cone shaped glass structure, reaching into the sky at the same height as the radio mast opposite. It was sculpted by Jaume PlensaJaume Plensa
Jaime Plensa is an Spanish artist and sculptor.-Biography:Plensa was born at Barcelona. Plensa studied art in his home city, in the "Llotja" School and in the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge....
and is a memorial to all of the BBC journalists killed in the line of duty. Called Breathing, it includes words from a poem by James Fenton
James Fenton
James Martin Fenton is an English poet, journalist and literary critic. He is a former Oxford Professor of Poetry.-Life and career:...
and is illuminated day and night. At 10pm daily, in line with the BBC News at Ten, a column of light shines 900 metres into the sky. It was officially unveiled on the 16 June 2008 by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
.