BBC Wales - New Broadcasting House
The new BBC Wales building is located in Three Central Square, Cardiff. The £120 million building will replace the current BBC Cymru Wales Broadcasting House in Llandaff, Cardiff.
The Central Square development is one of the biggest changes Cardiff – and Wales – has ever seen. We were the chosen furniture supplier for both the BBC HQ and Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies (JOMEC) located at Two Central Square. In addition to the 130,000 sq ft office for law firm Hugh James and JOMEC, and new headquarters for BBC Wales, Central Square will also include a 270,000 sq ft public sector hub for the UK Government and a new bus station. By 2020 our capital city will look completely different.
Three Central Square was designed by Foster & Partners with 5 storeys totalling 180,000 sq ft which ISG Construction handed over to the BBC in April 2018 and will be fully occupied and operational in Autumn 2019.
Following an extremely competitive tender process we were awarded the contract to supply all Desking, Task Chairs, Soft Seating and Tables throughout the BBC Headquarters. The building will provide around 750 desk spaces, but it is not envisaged that all 1,200 staff will ever be in the building at the same time.
We have supplied furniture to the BBC for over 25 years so are very familiar with the high standards and expectations they adhere to.
The furniture specifications and layouts, designed by ID:SR included brands such as Humanscale, Orangebox, Senator, Hitch Mylius, MARK Product, Davison Highly and Jennifer Newman. As an independent furniture supplier we have access to a wide portfolio of manufacturers enabling us to fulfil the BBC requirements and secure the contract.
Our Project team collaborated with Sheppard Robson (ID:SR), Currie & Brown, J4 Projects and our supply chain to finalise product specification detail, finishes and furniture layouts.
We also worked with Overbury to co-ordinate deliveries and our installation which began in November 2018. All deliveries were completed in January 2019 concluding our involvement in the delivery and installation phases of the project.
Installing broadcast technology is estimated to take a further 9 months and staff are likely to move in towards the end of 2019.
“The BBC Central Square project is a great example of a highly collaborative, complex project delivered successfully by a wide cohort of contractors and suppliers – BOF is extremely proud to have supplied and installed the loose furniture throughout the building and to have played a key part in handing over this cutting-edge facility to BBC Wales."
John Tovey, BOF Contracts Manager
