BBC plans to reuse World Cup studio in Olympic Park

The BBC has drawn up plans to reuse its controversial £1 million 2010 football World Cup studio for TV coverage of the London Olympics.

The corporation asked architects Allies & Morrison and Urban Space Management to design a low-cost platform made of shipping containers for its flat-pack studio, in a move the BBC hopes will fend off criticism that it is wasting taxpayers’ money again.

During the 2010 World Cup the corporation was widely criticised for the cost of its studio overlooking Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

This has now been transported back to London, where it will be craned on to the platform in the centre of the Olympic Park, near Make’s Handball Arena.

Design Council Cabe said it applauded the design, including the coloured vertical fins that extend up the sides of the building to form a pergola roof structure, under which the glass and timber studio will sit. It added: “The planning authority will want to see details of any additional cladding or wrapping of the structure.”

Urban Space Management is the practice behind Container City, a studio and office complex made of shipping containers in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. It has drawn up the base design for the studio, while Allies & Morrison designed the pergola.

A planning application for the temporary studio has been submitted to the ODA.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The studio site we have applied for within the Olympic Park ensures, as host nation broadcaster, we would have unique access to athletes and can celebrate winners without the logistical issues posed by them having to leave the park.

“At the same time it would deliver great views of the iconic stadia through which we can transport our audiences.”

Meanwhile, Design Council Cabe has praised AEW Architects’ “striking” design for the world’s biggest McDonald’s on the Olympic Park, in particular the first-floor terrace that provides views towards the main stadium.

It also congratulated 2010 Young Architect of the Year winner Serie Architects for its design of the park’s BMW sponsor showcase, recommending that legacy organisers consider retaining the pavilion for future use at the park.