The creation of the new Media Village at White City, West London, has enabled the BBC to site its next generation digital-to-air global communication media and broadcast equipment in one centre of excellence. Adaptability, value-for-money and an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach helped Buro Happold provide an all-encompassing range of services for the £243m project.

The Village comprises a broadcast centre, media centre and an energy centre which is designed to feed the other buildings. A large CHP plant offers excellent emissions performance and so reduces the environmental impact of the complex. The broadcast and media centre achieved an excellent BREEAM rating.

This project presented numerous challenges due to the business-critical nature of the client's assetsl; for example, it is essential that the very large array of the BBC's high-density broadcast hardware - an exceptional and unique element of the media village - is kept consistently cool. We provided an innovative design solution using cooled circulation corridors that separate the racks and are fed from large, simple side-wall jets.

Date: 1999 - 2004