Introduction
BBC Studioworks appointed Elgood Industrial Flooring to design and install the main television studio floor at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. The new multi camera studio required a precision engineered surface that would support smooth camera pedestal movement, withstand intensive production schedules and integrate with the wider fit out of this flagship facility. Elgood installed a super flat, anti static Universal Television Studio Floor, transforming a rough concrete slab into a durable, high performance studio floor ready for modern broadcast use.
Background
Kelvin Hall has been redeveloped as a major broadcast and production hub for Glasgow, with BBC Studioworks operating a new multi camera television studio as part of the scheme. The studio needed a floor that would work equally well for entertainment shows, live programming and pre recorded content, giving production teams confidence that camera pedestals could move freely and reliably anywhere on the operating surface.
Elgood Industrial Flooring has been designing, manufacturing and installing specialist studio floors for more than 30 years, with an established Universal Television Studio Floor System used in studios across the UK. The system is manufactured in Britain and installed by Elgood’s own in house studio flooring team, providing full control over quality, design and delivery.
The Challenge
The project presented a number of technical and practical challenges:
• Converting a rough and uneven concrete slab into a super flat operating surface suitable for multi camera HD production
• Achieving tight flatness tolerances across the full studio area so camera pedestals can track smoothly without encountering undulations or surface irregularities
• Providing a tough wearing surface capable of withstanding frequent set changes, heavy equipment, lighting towers and rigging movements
• Delivering an anti static finish as standard to prevent nuisance static electricity affecting cameras and other sensitive broadcast equipment
• Coordinating the installation within a complex construction and fit out programme at Kelvin Hall, working alongside other trades and meeting fixed deadlines for commissioning and first use
The Solution
Elgood Industrial Flooring engineered and installed a Universal Television Studio Floor System tailored to the Kelvin Hall studio and its underlying slab.
Key elements of the solution included:
• Detailed assessment of the existing concrete slab to understand level variations, defects and the build up required to achieve the specified flatness
• Mechanical preparation of the concrete using vacuum contained equipment to remove surface contamination and create a clean, keyed substrate for the studio floor system
• Installation of the Universal Television Studio Floor at variable thickness, correcting slab irregularities and bringing the finished surface within tight flatness tolerances across the entire studio
• Creation of a super flat operating surface specifically designed for multi camera pedestal use and the demands of modern high definition television production
• An anti static finish supplied as standard, reducing nuisance static and supporting the reliable operation of cameras and broadcast electronics
• A surface with a slight profile that supports the use of semi permanent studio floor paints and low tack broadcast vinyls, allowing productions to change the look of the floor quickly between shows
All works were carried out by Elgood’s small, full time in house studio flooring team. Each installer has completed a structured apprenticeship and ongoing training, ensuring the specialist skills and consistency of workmanship required for television studio installations.
Outcome
The completed Universal Television Studio Floor at Kelvin Hall gives BBC Studioworks a robust, long term foundation for its Glasgow based productions:
• A super flat, anti static studio floor that supports smooth, predictable multi camera pedestal movement anywhere on the operating surface
• A tough wearing finish designed to cope with frequent set builds, heavy equipment and intensive production schedules
• A surface free from undulations and surface irregularities that would be unacceptable in a modern multi camera environment
• Compatibility with studio paints and branding treatments, enabling flexible visual design and rapid turnaround between different shows
• A British manufactured, fully in house designed and installed studio floor system that offers dependable long term performance and straightforward maintenance
By converting the original concrete slab into a precision engineered Universal Television Studio Floor, Elgood Industrial Flooring has helped establish Kelvin Hall as a high quality television production base in Glasgow, ready to support a wide range of BBC Studioworks productions.
