‘Let’s make the most of Channel 4’s arrival to Bristol’

With the exciting announcement that Channel 4 will be setting up a creative hub in Bristol and the city vying to become the UK home for Netflix, now is the perfect time to look at what big players in the creative and media industries are after from their workspace.

If we can get this right, we can maximise the opportunities created by having attracted the likes of Channel 4 and encourage others to follow suit. At BDP, we have a strong insight into what this type of industry needs in terms of space and facilities, having designed workplace settings for the BBC Mailbox in Birmingham and more recently the new headquarters for broadcaster S4C in Carmarthen, Wales.

What we are seeing is that, increasingly, the creative and media sectors don’t want office space structured around teams or departments. The space they need is project, or activity-based, so that people from different parts of the business or organisation come together, depending on what they are working on.

For example, a project to create TV, podcast and online content about wildlife in Antarctica might draw in production staff, marketeers, the directorial team and no doubt other departments at different stages of its development. This model is the way things are going in the future and flexible, technology-rich workplaces are vital to meet this demand.

The other trend continuing to grow is the need for additional spaces that are carefully designed to encourage particular behaviours, from social spaces and cafes, which offer opportunity for networking through to more intimate spaces, which encourage focused periods of work in sound-proofed environments. These spaces must vary in character, but always have a common brand which gives staff a real sense of belonging. It’s well documented that this, together with an emphasis on wellbeing, leads to higher productivity and creativity in the workplace.

The creative and media industries rely on the best technology, so naturally workplaces must be flexible to meet both operational changes on a day-to-day basis, as well as upgrades to infrastructure so companies can grow and make best use of the spaces available. Of course, the logistics of having spaces with numerous tenants need to be well managed, to avoid issues such as visitors not knowing where to go to meet a particular team, or meeting clashes. However, these are easily overcome with simple tech solutions and allow for diverse and inventive spaces which foster creativity, through both chance and planned encounters.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there are many benefits associated with locating big players alongside other smaller businesses, maximising the potential the ‘anchor’ organisation brings. At S4C in Carmarthen, start-up companies are co-located to share the physical and intellectual resources a creative hub such as this can offer. This approach encourages the stimulation of new ideas and can allow smaller organisations and local communities to use facilities which would otherwise be out of reach.

This can also bring real economic benefit to the city as these smaller companies begin to prosper. As they grow and move to larger premises, they take this collaborative ethos with them, as it has become embedded in their culture. The networks that have emerged in the original hub continue to evolve and spread geographically across the city, supported by initiatives such as Bristol is Open, which aims to turn it into a smart city of the future.

To maximise the impact of Channel 4’s arrival and to attract other big players such as Netflix into Bristol, we don’t need to rely on new buildings. Intelligent fit-outs of existing space with the potential to house other organisations mean that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. We need creative hubs that allow businesses, as well as communities and educational institutions, to engage meaningfully, to ensure the continued success of our thriving creative cluster.

Nick Fairham is an architect-director who leads the Bristol studio of global architects BDP

Main photo: University of Wales Newport campus

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