Glenn Howells Architects reveals plans for BBC Birmingham HQ

Set to become a world-class workplace and the new home of its Birmingham studio, the BBC’s new building will be the centrepiece of the wider Typhoo Wharf masterplan. An emerging mixed-use and cultural district centred around the city’s unique historic canal network, waterfront and warehouse buildings, the masterplan will also be designed by Glenn Howells Architects, which has made Digbeth its own home for the past 30 years.

The restored BBC Typhoo building will be an ‘exemplar sustainable workplace’, positively contributing to the broadcaster’s target of becoming net zero carbon by 2030 – and delivering one of Birmingham’s first net zero buildings in construction.

As much of the former factory’s character will be retained, utilising the existing structural frame and facades of the existing one: a conscious effort by the architects to preserve as much as possible. Inside, a modern, purpose-built workplace will reflect the BBC’s ‘working traditions, culture and ethos.’

Within the design proposal a double height ‘shopfront’ will provide a highly visible and public face to the building, connecting it to the surrounding neighbourhood. A grand atrium will run through the centre of the workplace, flooding the interior with natural light and promoting collaboration and visual connectivity as the ‘centrepiece’ of the BBC’s operations.

The building’s first and second floors will be flexible enough to accommodate black box studio spaces, a dedicated TV production space, editing suites and more traditional workspace, with collaborative areas and meeting rooms.

Top floor roof terraces will overlook Birmingham’s skyline, the burgeoning HS2, and the new public square centred around the canal basin. The form of the roof will carefully manage incoming natural light, as well as harvesting water and generating electricity through south-facing photovoltaics, while a brown roof to the south of the building will enhance local biodiversity.

“The BBC’s move to The Tea Factory is the first piece of the jigsaw in our Typhoo Wharf masterplan and reinforces Digbeth as the city’s emerging cultural epicentre,” comments partner Sandeep Shambi. “By opting for adaptative reuse over new build, we are bringing this derelict building back to life for the next 100 years – not only to keep this historical legacy going, but to uphold the low carbon principles we all strive for and provide a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Digbeth.”

Good news for Birmingham, as the development marks the latest in a stream of regeneration which will see it transformed into a green, walkable city.