West of Scotland Hi-Fi Club
2008-2009 season
West of Scotland Hi-Fi Club2008-2009 season
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1 March 2008
VISIT TO BBC SCOTLAND NEW HQ BUILDING
This was a well attended meeting with 10 people present. As we don’t actually have 10 active members, it will be appreciated that the numbers were swelled by family members and friends some of whom were checking on whether their husband did actually work in the building. They were re-assured.
Another member who worked in the building was absent because he said he had seen it all and didn’t want to spend his time off there as well! Understandable, I suppose. The weather was beautiful and the large glass box glistened in the sunshine.
We were greeted with offers of free tea and coffee in reception. Amongst the elderly pieces of equipment on display, the Chairman was delighted to see a Philco Everyman wireless of 1936 (a bargain at 6gns)
a second-hand example of which had been provided to him by his father in the days when it was thought that he might go down the electronics path rather than his eventual calling. Those were the days. The wireless case, a classic art-deco design was made of Bakelite, a material based on the thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin – just thought you would want to know.
Before the tour began, we were treated to an introductory HD presentation on what BBC Scotland is all about. (Just as this was about to start, our member, who was working and was the ‘engineer of the day’ was called away by mobile ‘phone. Beautifully timed and impressive! He soon returned having sorted it out.) The new HQ is fully geared up to HDTV and most programmes are made in the format and many have to be downgraded for current broadcasting. The changeover in Scotland should be in 2012. Hang on chaps - we’ll be there!
The concept of the building is of a large top lit glazed box with a staircase or street ascending through five storeys with large landings at each floor level where meetings can take place with people from all departments sharing in a creative experience.
This seemed to work well, with the acoustics fully under control, so that discussions at different levels did not clash. Beneath the stair or street and landings there are studios of varying size with the largest at the high end. This is the largest studio outside London and is hired out to STV as necessary. Down both long sides of the building, there were broadcasting rooms, changing rooms, etc at various levels and across the western end, above reception, was the electronics hub of the building with the computers on which all broadcast material was held prior to programmes going on air.
The overall effect was of a high quality, crisply engineered piece of industrial architecture but with the initial impression of hardness softened by warm sandstone floors, colourful soft furnishings and rich hardwood meeting tables and chairs.
Although he tried, the BBC’s engineer of the day was unable to gain us access to the engineering block and had to make do by describing the process whereby faults were reported to Bristol who then rang him up to tell him fix it! This seemed to come as a surprise to our guides.
The only frustration came about because of the tight restrictions on photography in all areas except the reception hall. Whilst we can understand that when the building is buzzing with meetings at all levels of the ‘street’, BBC staff might well find being photographed an intrusion, on a Saturday morning with a morgue like absence of life, it does seem rather inflexible. ‘Jobs wurf, jobs wurf, it’s more than me jobs wurf’. All join in at the next chorus.
Our thanks to the Beeb and the excellent guides, Elaine, Karen and Taryn.
Robert |
Copyright Alistair Biggar
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