Broadcasting Place
Broadcasting Place is a striking mixed-use development close to Leeds city centre. A public/private partnership for property group Downing and Leeds Beckett University, it provides approximately 110,000 square feet of new offices and teaching spaces, and 240 student residences in a landmark building rising to some 23 storeys. A new Baptist Church completes the scheme.
Key to the project’s success is the innovative approach we’ve taken in the design of each elevation. Using software we developed specifically for the project, we undertook a meticulous computational analysis of every single section of the façades. The result is a varied appearance that optimises daylight and reduces solar penetration.
The strong roof pitch is reflected in the massing of the buildings, which have sharp triangular corners and angular cantilevered projections. Through this massive form, we visualised the windows as a flow of water cascading down through rocks. To emphasise this concept, we selected cor-ten steel - a solid, sculptural and weathering material – and used it as a rain-screen façade.
The location has important cultural connections, which have been referenced in the design. The main elevation has 16 windows, mirroring the 16 frames that still exist of the world’s first ever moving images.
The site posed some difficult challenges, which we responded to with a masterplan that manages an adjacent inner-city motorway, while still allowing for future growth. A new public space forms a significant landscape element of the scheme, as befits its prime location.
The building marks the location of the old BBC TV Studios and the place where the first moving picture was developed by Louis Le Prince in the late 19th century. This makes it a very apt stage for a building now dedicated to Leeds Beckett's Faculty of Arts and Society.
Plan forms are designed to optimize natural daylight and allow natural ventilation where practicable, given proximity to the motorway that runs alongside site.
We combined façade design to optimize cooling load and energy use through a detailed research project involving 3D computer simulation of all external elevations.
Overall, the scheme is highly adaptable to ensure a long lifespan and has been awarded a BREEAM “Very Good” rating.
