After 15 years in downtown San Diego, NBC 7 recently moved to a new energy efficient headquarters facility with state-of-the-art broadcast technology.
Designed by Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, this new NBC 7 space gives us a peek into how cutting edge media teams work, and how a “traditional” news profession is growing and maintaining its spot on the media landscape.
The broadcast station’s previous space was something similar to the ones often visited by passersby along the street in NYC; people could look in through the glass and see the broadcast happening in real time. But downtown San Diego wasn’t producing the desired interactions, so some of the layout was being underutilized.
The new NBC 7 is situated on a hilltop location that allows for better satellite relay signals, and its spatial design better connects its many departments.
“Many people might think that the studio is the center of a television news station,” said Stuart Fromson, senior associate designer at Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. “But the news desk is really the center of the universe in this space, not the studio. All things revolve around this editorial news desk.”
The 52,000 square foot facility uses 117 miles of Ethernet and TV cable along with 13.6 miles of electrical cable.
“In this world, timing is critical and news cycles can happen incredibly quickly,” said Mr. Fromson. “It’s very fluid from a functional standpoint. I’m amazed at the amount of technology infrastructure this space can hold.”
All of this tech is fed by a 200-KW rooftop solar system, a 250-KW natural gas fuel cell that emits low-carbon electricity, and a low-energy HVAC system using outside cool air.
Alongside the latest broadcasting technologies, NBC 7’s new space is centered around a few simple, but significant goals: achieving a connected corporate culture, and creating a comfortable, inspiring workplace for its 140 employees. The new offices feature an open environment with meeting spaces integrated into the open floorplate and just five or six private offices.
While an open environment wasn’t a huge change for NBC 7 staff and the staff was accustomed to working that way, the design team helped the news station restructure the placement of some of its teams in order to help related teams collaborate better.
The ground level includes spaces for all teams that participate in the news function, including a central command center with the main assignment desk; open plan benching for the network’s pool of reporters, producers and other team members; and two studios and all studio support spaces, including editing rooms for audio and video, and makeup and wardrobe/dressing rooms.
An independent firm provided the set designs for the two studios, but Carrier Johnson + CULTURE developed the studio acoustics and acoustics of the large open meeting space adjacent to the studio. The building’s location falls along a flight path to the local airport, so special attention was paid to the acoustics for times when a plane would fly overhead during on-air time.
To join the first floor with the second, the design team cut a 40-foot diameter opening in the ceiling of the first floor and then constructed a new stairway between the two floors. On the second floor are spaces for the finance and accounting, marketing and creative services, human resources, and administrative support teams.
Workstations are more traditional upstairs, and the top floor also includes a spacious kitchen and breakroom that serves as a large gathering space as well as a work lounge for visiting staff. The kitchen also includes camera equipment that the staff can use to turn the space into a set for a food segment.
Due to the introduction of new, more stringent lighting codes, Mr. Fromson noted that firms today are mandated to work with daylighting as much as possible. Carrier Johnson + CULTURE’s design capitalizes on natural daylighting with high ceilings, skylights and large windows with long views.
LED lamps are plentiful, and much of the space is outfitted with sensor-driven automatic shades that adjust electric lighting based on whether the room is being used or not.
Natural light fills the space, but the NBC Universal brand also comes through in the station. A neutral gray carpet tile and wood-slatted partitions and ceiling serve as a base for pops of wall color taken directly from NBC’s colorful logo.
“We pulled the colors right out of the NBC peacock,” said Mr. Fromson. “At first, we started a little more toned down, but they really wanted it to be brighter and more closely related to those original NBC colors. They were very comfortable with color.”
The walls of the new NBC 7 are splashed with TV after TV – Mr. Fromson notes the facility has more than 100 – in every corner, bathrooms, makeup and dressing rooms included. To soften this cascade of digital screens, Carrier Johnson + CULTURE designed a central ring of monitors that helps define the vertical space between the two floors.
The project also presented unique challenges related to security and infrastructure.
“Security was a very big issue. They want their space to be open and inviting, but it also needs to be very secure.”
Employees are secure from a ballistics standpoint, and the site was also restructured to accommodate secured parking for all employees, integrated entrances for both employees and the public, and a back entrance for news vans with satellite dishes.
This new media building is hopefully an indication that television news is evolving in a healthy way. Media landscapes are unique to each city, and what works for New York City might not be the best fit other cities around the country.
NBC 7 San Diego is a place where modern reporters and producers can do work that is often heavily criticized – report the news of its city and surrounding areas as accurately and completely as possible, with the best technology available.