ISG to Build New Broadcasting House for BBC Wales at Central Square, Cardiff

ISG has secured a contract to build two of South Wales’ most prominent new build projects - the new BBC Wales Broadcasting House and Two Central Square - totalling an £80 million package. The scheme for developer Rightacres sees ISG deliver the new headquarters for BBC Cymru Wales, designed by signature architect Foster + Partners, and an adjacent office building to complete the second phase of development at this strategic regeneration site.

Set to provide the BBC with a new home in a key location - opposite Cardiff Central Railway Station - the 150,000 sq ft building is set over four floors and includes office, studio and production space, providing office space for over 1,200 BBC Wales staff.

Initially, ISG will form a 75,000 sq ft basement structure by installing secant piles and excavating approximately 50,000 cubic metres of material, which will be removed and re-used off site. Both the BBC building and Two Central Square use a hybrid structure, with a reinforced concrete frame to ground floor level, concrete cores and a steel frame superstructure for the upper floors. Both buildings will be delivered simultaneously, with Two Central Square providing approximately 120,000 sq ft of high-specification office space across seven floors, with ground floor retail accommodation.

Jason Hyett, Project Director at Rightacres said: “We have a great project team, led by Foster + Partners, supported by Arup and Gleeds and to ensure that we deliver the project to the level of quality expected by both the architect and our client, we needed a main contractor with the best credentials. From the top down, the team working on the project has shown a huge level of integrity and professionalism and ISG’s performance in putting together the supply chain, budgets and programme for this project has been outstanding”

The BBC’s design team includes Capita and Sweets, and part of the ISG contract will include delivering the first phase of the BBC’s fit out, which has been designed by IDSR and AECOM.

Alan Bainbridge, BBC Property, said: “Getting the BBC project from the design board to site has been a huge team effort and we are delighted that this project is now becoming a reality. We look forward to working with Rightacres and ISG and the respective design teams over the next few years to develop a facility which delivers real value for money”.

Phil Brown, ISG’s UK Construction managing director, commented: “Constructing the new headquarters for BBC Wales is a major win for the business and brings all of our office expertise to bear on one of the largest ever private developer-led projects to be built in Wales. This is also a highly-specified building, with demanding acoustic and vibration tolerances and advanced mechanical and electrical services, which plays to our significant strengths delivering complex technical services infrastructure in the data center, R&D and healthcare sectors.”

Nick Hann; Tel: 07970 275251; Email: nick.hann@isgplc.com

ISG Plc is an international construction services company delivering Fit Out, Construction, Engineering Services and Specialist Solutions, operating in 28 countries worldwide. The company works with owners, developers and occupiers in the public and private sector for an extensive range of industries. ISG Plc was established in 1989 and has been quoted on AIM since 1998. Today the company has a turnover of around £1.6 billion.

For further information about ISG please visit our website www.isgplc.com