Elite Trunking and Steel Wire Cable Tray

BBC DRAMA VILLAGE

When M&E contractor Whitehead Building Services won a £5m installation contract to help create the BBC’s new Drama Village in Cardiff, the Newport-based team chose to specify Marco Cable Management’s new Elite 3 Trunking and Steel Wire Cable Tray systems across the entire facility, spanning an area of three football pitches.

Work on the new BBC Wales Drama Village in Cardiff Bay began in June 2010 whilst the M&E installation began in October 2010 with an ambitious deadline of completion for May 2011. BBC Wales has secured a lease on the facility with Igloo Regeneration to house production in a 300m long, 20,000 square metre building on Roath Basin, the last undeveloped area of Cardiff Bay, close to the National Assembly’s Senedd building.

Once complete, the 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site will house productions including Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, The Sarah Jane Adventures and TV’s favourite, Doctor Who. Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures are to move from their studios near Pontypridd in 2012, and the first Casualty episode made in ales will be on screens early in 2012. The village is part of the BBC’s commitment to double television network production from Wales by 2016.

Marco’s Steve Davis worked closely with Whitehead’s throughout the installation and describes the scheme and the challenges faced, whilst also looking at why Marco’s products were the best fit.

Steve said “Whitehead’s began working with main contractor, Vinci and consultants, Arup Cardiff, during the early design stage to consider the best approach in terms of specification, installation and timescales. Under the design of architects, Holder Matthias, the scheme aims to achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent.

“Set over two floors, the new build scheme will contain eight studios at ground floor level and a large number of offices at level one. With major acoustic sound proofing and high power supply needed to cope with the demands of huge and complex lighting rigs (there are 2,700 light fittings in total), work began at ground floor and continued on a studio by studio basis.”

Steve spoke to Mark Eaves, Whitehead’s Contracts Manager to discuss the design and details surrounding the specification of both the traditional supply of power and added requirements of studio lighting. Mark said: “In total, we have installed two transformers and four main panels which are probably double the standard requirements of a facility of this size. Each studio is fitted with an 4No independent 200amp power units which are designed to allow the BBC to clamp on there lighting rigs, in addition to this, each area has a 250amp split load metered distribution board.

Steve continued: “We supplied our products to Whitehead’s through our distribution partner, Independent Electrical Supplies in Newport. Whiteheads’ specified Marco’s Steel Wire Cable Tray at a depth of 55mm, with widths varying from 100mm – 500mm. Several thousand lengths of various sizes were installed to support the Cat6 data and fire alarm cables.”

“A series of Marco ’Quick Fit, accessories were used to support the installation. Quick Couplers were used to join the lengths whilst Quick Locks were used to speed installation on sweeping bends, alongside the Marco Fast Fix Strut Clip to secure the whole installation. The use of Fast Fix Strut Clip enabled the Steel Wire Cable Tray to be fixed to the strut channel within seconds, reducing the installation time considerably when comparing to the traditional method of hold down clamp, zebedee nut, and bolt.

“As part of the specification and under the restraints of a fast track installation programme, we developed a bespoke Steel Wire Cable Tray system to speed up installation whilst also reducing costs. The bespoke Steel wire Cable Tray product was designed as a ‘U’ shape with one side higher than the other. This acted as a shelf for the data cables to be installed in. the higher side of the Steel Wire Cable Tray was fixed directly to the strut using Marco’s Fast Fix Strut Clip negating the use of an extra bracket and zebedees.

Marks said: “Marco reacted positively to our design requirements and quickly produced a sample length for us. It was an ideal solution that met our exact needs and we have installed this throughout the building.”

Steve added: “It’s important that we are seen to be flexible and accommodating and aim to react quickly when clients have a specific requirement or need. This new design has worked really well for Whiteheads and we are now considering introducing this as part of our standard range.”

The biggest and most pressing challenge for the M&E team has been the noise penetration and acoustic considerations. Noise must be contained within each of the studios. Each studio was insulated using a combination of muftilag and acoustically treated plenium boxes to further prevent noise penetration. Essentially the studios were designed as ‘boxes within a bigger box’ and were each fitted with anti vibration mounts to prevent any noise travel.

Above the studios, at level one, the Drama Village contains many individual offices in total, each fitted out with Marco’s Elite 3 uPVC Cable Management System. In total, 1500 metre’s of the Elite 3 was used with a range of supporting accessories.

Mark of Whitehead’s added: “Marco’s Elite uPVC Trunking system fitted in really well with the wider design and is a step away from the traditional hard edged angular look of many other uPVC Trunking systems. The Marco product is glossy, pure white and curved with a modern appeal. The grey centre panel ties in well with the forward thinking design of the Drama Village whilst also allowing us to achieve the contrast between sockets and their background for those people with impaired vision.

To allow for a quick and simple installation, the ELITE 3 base and internal walls are pre-punched, and a hinged lid has been incorporated into the design to allow for cables to be fed into position with ease, eliminating the need for drilling or cable retainers. The uPVC Trunking has a full range of fittings and accessories, including moulded flat angles and tees, along with the newly designed two-piece adjustable bends to accommodate installations where 90 degree corners are unobtainable.

Steve continued: “It has been great to see our new Elite 3 uPVC Trunking used throughout this scheme. Marco is keen to develop new products and is often one step ahead of customers needs. The Elite range has been in development throughout 2010 and finally introduced onto the market at the end of last year. The feedback to date has been fantastic and success is highlighted further more when we see it in situ at schemes of this calibre.

“This has been a great project to be involved in. It will be a flagship facility in ales for many years to come. We have embraced the challenges presented by Whiteheads and have managed to develop and propose a design solution that has been fit for purpose through our Steel Wire Cable Tray whilst supplying a significant quantity of our latest generation uPVC Trunking.”

Major building work is set for completion this summer. Currently the BBC produces drama output at two separate sites at Llandaff in Cardiff and Upper Boat, near Pontypridd, as well as a number of locations around Wales. Economy Minister Leuan Wyn Jones has described the new centre as the lynchpin for the wider development of a dynamic creative industries hub, creating jobs and stimulating community regeneration.

He said: “The Roath Basin site represents one of the most significant waterfront opportunities in the UK and our plans include a new digital media centre to accommodate a range of businesses in the sector and support future growth.

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