2008/10/2 Michael Askin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 8:34 AM, Martin Ludgate > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > (*) a bit like the designers of the BBC's Broadcasting House in > > London did. Except that in that case, it was a question mark on the > > plans... > > -- > > Martin Ludgate > > Martin, you're thinking of Television Centre:- > (from BBC press office website) > > Television Centre architect: Graham Dawbarn. > > He was given a 50 page brief and looking for inspiration went to a local > pub. > He pulled out an old envelope and drew the triangular shape of the > site on the back. > He then drew a question mark in the middle of the triangle. > > How could he design a centre with eight studios, production galleries, > dressing rooms, camera workshops, recording areas and offices to > support them? > > More to the point, how could he design a building which was completely ill equipped to service the Corporation from the word go, meaning that thousands of us had to work in out-of-the-way places like Lime Grove and Ken(sington) House and develop/use our own resources without any recourse to the so-called 'centre.' It was a recipe for disaster and the main reason that the BBC was ripping out its own throat for so many years. IMO the fact that major departments were on different sites was one of the main causes of the ongoing power struggle between news and current affairs which lasted nigh on 20 years, cost the BBC a fortune, and materially impaired the development of new technology.
Pull it down, I say. No, actually don't. Compared to the new stuff they're chucking up it's almost beautiful. Steve [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
