Introduction
Having successfully installed studio floors for Warner Brothers Discovery at IMG’s facility in Stockley Park, Elgood Industrial Flooring was appointed directly to deliver the studio floor for TNT Sports at WBD’s UK head office in Chiswick, West London. The project involved transforming a rough and very uneven concrete slab on the first floor of an operational building into a 90 m² super flat, anti static Universal Studio Floor, designed specifically for multi-camera television use and completed within a two-week programme.
Background
Warner Brothers Discovery required a high performance studio floor to support TNT Sports’ multi-camera operations at their Chiswick head office. The studio would host multiple sets and needed to accommodate camera pedestals operating anywhere on the floor, without obstruction or variation in level.
Elgood Industrial Flooring brought over 30 years of specialist television studio flooring experience to the project, with more than 135 studio installations and an established reputation for long-term performance. The Elgood Universal Studio Floor System is designed, manufactured and installed entirely in-house, giving WBD the assurance of a fully integrated British-made solution and a single point of responsibility from design through to completion.
The Challenge
The project presented several technical and logistical challenges:
• Working on the first floor of an operational office building, with restricted access and the need to manage noise, materials and movements carefully
• Converting a rough and very unlevel concrete slab into a super flat studio floor, with thickness varying from 20 mm to 60 mm and an average build of 45 mm to correct the levels
• Achieving a surface free from undulations, inclines and irregularities, suitable for modern HD multi-camera production and smooth pedestal tracking
• Providing a tough wearing surface capable of withstanding regular studio use, set builds and equipment loadings
• Delivering an anti static finish as standard to prevent nuisance static electricity affecting sensitive cameras and broadcast electronics
• Coordinating the installation through early design-stage involvement, including online meetings and site visits, to ensure the floor integrated with the wider fit-out and studio build programme
The Solution
Elgood Industrial Flooring engineered and installed a Universal Studio Floor System tailored to the specific demands of TNT Sports’ studio and the underlying slab.
Key aspects of the solution included:
• Early design-stage consultation, using TEAMS meetings and site visits to plan logistics, access, build-up thickness and integration with the surrounding construction
• Specialist preparation of the rough, unlevel concrete slab, followed by the build-up of the Universal Studio Floor System to achieve the required super flat tolerance across the entire 90 m² area
• Variable thickness installation ranging from 20 mm to 60 mm, with an average of 45 mm, to remove slab irregularities and create a consistent, level operating surface for multi-camera pedestals
• A tough, hard-wearing surface engineered specifically for modern HD television studios, designed to cope with a wide range of productions and frequent studio reconfigurations
• An anti static finish supplied as standard, preventing nuisance static electricity that could otherwise interfere with camera operation and broadcast electronics
• A surface with a slight profile to ease the application and removal of semi permanent studio floor paints, such as Mylands, and to support the use of low tack broadcast vinyls when required for specific designs or branding
All work was carried out by Elgood’s small, full-time in-house studio flooring team. Each installer has completed a four-year apprenticeship and follows a programme of continuous improvement, ensuring consistent quality on every project and maintaining the specialist skills required for high performance studio floors.
Outcome
The completed Universal Studio Floor at TNT Sports’ studio in Chiswick provides Warner Brothers Discovery with a reliable, long-term platform for broadcast production:
• A super flat, anti static studio floor that supports smooth multi-camera pedestal movement anywhere on the surface
• A tough wearing finish designed to withstand the demands of a busy HD television studio and multiple production cycles
• A surface free from undulations, inclines and surface irregularities that would be unacceptable in a modern multi-camera environment
• Compatibility with semi permanent studio paints and low tack broadcast vinyls, allowing flexible set designs and rebranding between shows
• A British-manufactured, fully in-house designed and installed studio floor system with a proven average working life of more than 10 years
With this installation, Elgood Industrial Flooring has helped Warner Brothers Discovery and TNT Sports create a technically robust, versatile studio space at their UK head office in Chiswick, ready to support high quality broadcast production for years to come.
