#Bbc helios statue series

Stephen Richards, Partner in charge of the project at Gillespies, comments:

Lush and richly planted areas provide structure and offer a subtle definition between private terraces and communal space. Subtle landform and groups of multi-stem trees punctuate the space, with low-key integrated playable landscape features. The resulting dramatic curved space provides an internalised spine open to the sky, drawing light and greenery into the void and offering informal seating and relaxation opportunities for the residents. The tree-lined streetscape creates an open and accessible public connection between Hammersmith Park and Wood Lane, as well as serving all the residential buildings along its length.Ī new resident’s only courtyard garden is created between the existing Helios building and the residential block to the north. The Crescent Boulevard transforms the existing service roadway running around the site into a formal street. The design provides an amenity for the enjoyment of residents and for the public moving through from the forecourt to the Park beyond. The gently mounded form sets off the refurbished fountain and Helios sculpture and surrounds a new lift and stair access to the basement gym. The planting is rich in shade tolerant shrubs and herbaceous species. The design maintains the simplicity of the original architectural concept and introduces a softer, garden character, replacing an old glass roof. The Helios Courtyard is a spectacular circular drum that sits at the heart of the development, formed by the retained listed buildings. The lower terrace can be used for managed events the south facing terrace consists of an open lawn set off by vibrantly planted borders, and the upper terrace a more intimate garden serving as a quiet retreat. The space is overlooked by a generous retail terrace, optimising views into the forecourt and across to the famous Studio 1 facade.

#Bbc helios statue series

The area rises up from Wood Lane in a series of broad terraces, each with its own distinctive character and function. The design is a contemporary reinterpretation of a London Garden Square, incorporating active perimeters, pockets of green spaces seating, pedestrian priority shared surface and large green spaces for outdoor activity and events. The forecourt is the primary public space and the main entrance to the development located off Wood Lane. Planting in The Crescent at Television Centre These spaces include ‘The Forecourt’, ‘Helios Courtyard’, ‘Crescent Boulevard’ and ‘residential courtyard gardens’. Gillespies were charged with creating a network of interconnected external spaces, sensitively designed to contribute to the setting and uses of the old and new buildings and to connect the new development to the wider White City Opportunity Area.

Fundamental to the masterplan was establishing new and convincing public connectivity including linking Hammersmith Park to Wood Lane through the centre of the site. The masterplan had to demonstrate to the planners how the extensive Grade II-listed buildings would be preserved and enhanced while introducing carefully located new built form. The brief called for 1,000 new homes, a boutique hotel and office space, upgraded studios for the BBC to let and entertainment and leisure facilities, set within a new public realm. The BBC sold it to Stanhope plc in 2012, and with lead architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and Gillespies providing landscape and public realm consultancy, a complex process of transforming the area into a residential mixed-use place began. Consisting of purpose-built studios and offices radiating around a central circular space, the site was never intended for public access. Originally designed by Graham Dawbarn and operational by 1960, BBC Television Centre was the first production hub of its kind in the world.