Overbury, the office fit out and refurbishment specialist has just completed a £2.9m refurbishment of the historic BBC Radio Theatre (formerly the BBC Concert Hall) at Broadcasting House, Portland Place in London W1. The 300-seat theatre is Grade I listed and is home to the oldest and largest operational concert organ in Britain. It was originally constructed in 1932 and designed by Lieut. Col. G Vale Myer.
The refurbishment involved restoring many of the theatre’s original features like the fibrous plaster freezes and Art Deco-style lamps as well as upgrading the air conditioning and all mechanical and electrical services. This included installing 1,500 miles of wiring, a significant increase from just over 142 miles when the theatre was first built.
The sound room is acoustically sealed and boasts the very latest technology. Acoustic panels have been installed throughout the theatre, vastly improving the overall sound quality by reducing reverberation.
This project is one of a number Overbury is working on as part of its multi-million pound framework agreement with the BBC nationwide.
“This project is a great example of how a framework can work for clients with diverse and changing needs,” commented Chris Booth, Overbury’s managing director, “Provided the framework partner is flexible and has the skills to accommodate unusual projects like this one, clients can save time that would normally be spent tendering, benefit from a better working relationship and retain peace of mind that value for money had been achieved.”
