Buildings fit for the digital age - the 'why'

While it's not unusual for people to focus on the negative aspect of how we're transforming the BBC Estate, I want to focus for a moment on the 'why'. Essentially we're delivering ambitious projects that enable the BBC to change - to deliver even better content to BBC audiences.

These are enormously ambitious projects. The buildings broadcasters need today are nothing like the ones they worked in ten years ago. Our new buildings enable the BBC to work in new ways, using cutting edge technology to make even better programmes - and deliver even better value to BBC audiences.

The conception and realisation of these three projects occurred in a decade during which broadcasting experienced a profound and unprecedented transformation. The list includes: the development of digital, tapeless, high definition and multiplatform delivery systems, plus greater audience demands for out of London production.

At the end of the last century, the BBC had to face up to the legacy of thirty years of under-investment in keeping its buildings up to date. At that time, for example, 90% of our facilities in central London were more than 25 years old and were in dire need of modernisation. Therefore we had to do something.

There was however another factor that merits consideration - BBC senior management at the time recognised the need to move away from a civil service mentality. Given that most BBC staff at that time lived in cellular offices, allocated by grade, a series of pilots was launched to look at new ways of working. Looking back, this marked the start of the BBC's journey to open plan working. It also kicked off an awareness, that is still alive and well today, of the linkage between changing space and enabling business change.

Turning to the three big projects themselves - the business case for Broadcasting House grew out of the need to find a new home for the World Service once the lease on Bush House expired; the desire to rationalise the BBC's use of space in London by closing down many smaller BBC buildings and consolidating on a much smaller number of sites, to allow for more efficient use of space. It would also allow BBC News to move back to the centre of London from W12, giving better access to contributors.

Pacific Quay opened in September 2007, on time and on budget. The business case for Pacific Quay grew out of a number of pressures on BBC Scotland. Firstly there was a need to expand production capacity as BBC Scotland's workload began to grow sharply. Secondly, BBC Scotland had been given much tougher savings targets and had to find ways to increase efficiency. Thirdly, the digital revolution was opening up new ways of working that BBC Scotland wanted to adopt. There was a fourth factor too - the need for the BBC to make a symbolic statement of its continued commitment to Scotland as it moved into the post-devolution era.

The business case for Salford was made in the 2004 Charter Renewal document, Building Public Value, in which the BBC set out the need to become less London-centric and the relocation of a significant number of staff and the control of significant airtime to the rest of the UK.

Doing nothing was never an option. Bush House had a lease break coming up and needed complete modernisation in any case, along with Television Centre and Broadcasting House. We therefore set out on a journey to deliver massive transformation that would result in BBC buildings which:

• Provide programme makers with creative, collaborative working environments
• Support the BBC property and environmental strategies
• Enhance BBC employee's lives through more flexible working