BBC Television Centre at White City in London is one of the most recognisable buildings in broadcasting history. Almost everyone of a certain generation will have seen the front of the studio complex on any number of TV shows, with countless hours of memorable television created and broadcast from inside. 

The BBC have since left for a new purpose built facility in Manchester, but the building still remains and The Window Film Company have been busy helping ensure that it is ready for its next inhabitants.

The building is being completely refurbished to create a large new housing complex, which when complete will see the 14 acre site transformed into 950 homes. The facility features a number of large stairwells, providing access to each of the numerous floors, with each stairwell featuring a large quantity of glazing. It was these areas – over 200 square metres of glass that required The Window Film Company’s attention.

Glass in certain locations is required to meet safety standards, and the White City studios were a prime example. Playing host to thousands of visitors and employees, it was vital that the glazing met the appropriate standards, so safety film had been applied throughout. This work had been carried out a considerable length of time ago, and the film was approaching the end of its functional life. It therefore had to be removed and replaced.

Safety window film works by holding the pane together in the event of breakage. This means that in the event of accidental or malicious damage, the glazing should provide a minimal threat to those nearby – being kept in the frame by the film. It is usually clear in appearance, meaning it is virtually undetectable to the naked eye. It is available in a number of different thicknesses, each with a different level of performance. The film chosen for this particular project was 175 Micron safety film, with the application to take place on the internal side of the glass.

The sheer quantity of glass meant that the work would need to be carried out over a number of visits, with the extensive film removal work taking place first. The logistical issues were dealt with by The Window Film Company’s dedicated operations team, who worked directly with the client to create a project plan, detailing which windows would be treated, on which date and in what order.

The work was carried out by a number of The Window Film Company’s fully trained and vastly qualified fitting teams, who were required to work off interior scaffolds for large parts of the project. The finished result was achieved on schedule, and left the glazing fully compliant with building regulations ahead of the handover of homes.

For more information on the use of safety window film and how The Window Film Company can help with your project, please contact a member of the team on 01494 794477 or email info@windowfilm.co.uk.