BBC

The Requirement  

The BBC requirement since 2015 has been to conduct campus wide utilisation surveys to begin the process of analysing how their office spaces can be best used.  As the organisation is constantly looking to improve its premises effectiveness as the recipient of public money, there are many demands on different parts of the UK estate.  We have supported analysis of that use; how best to change use and design in key buildings and programs to rollout new ways of working.

The Solution

Space Utilisation Surveys: pre- and post-occupancy surveys have been conducted in Birmingham, Salford, Cardiff and Glasgow. In Cardiff, this work was part of the project to develop a new building in Central Square for BBC Wales and partner organisations which will be occupied during 2019. It has meant in depth analysis of how every team uses its space now: during the average day and core day (10am-4pm) as well as use at a peak moments.  It is also critical to view these patterns alongside one another to judge the best possible adjacencies that can be delivered while still allowing the most efficient allocation of desks and other space.  In these offices, as in many others, people have a tendency to hold on to desks they are not using but meaning no one else can use them either.  Moving towards agile working is the biggest cultural challenge of all especially in an organisation where there is still extensive kit kept in the office.

Design:  The BBC has an incumbent architect for interior design and we provide a close support to them on the building design.  In other areas, we have reviewed current use of space and worked up a re-design (for a local radio station as one example) based on the local needs of the staff and visitors, where a form of high street visibility is still required.

Change management:  in one large office, we are running a project to agree the best use of their space to incorporate future need: this includes expansion of some teams and creation of new ones to support a new news channel.  It also means interviews with Directors on their ambitions as well as balancing those aspirations with the in-house FM provider.  Finally they want space to attract the best people, including those from linked universities so the space has to be imaginative and cutting edge for their sector whilst also maintaining access for the public to TV studios and other specialist areas for technical staff. This will comprise a formal change programme to induct the new people into new space as quickly and clearly as possible.

Benefit to our client:

• Creative ideas for best use of the available space
• Change management to maximise active desk use
• Reduction to minimal ongoing churn