BBC Radio 4 The Listening Project's Pod

To create an innovative design for a Listening Project pod, for use by the general public to record personal experiences as part of the BBC Radio 4’s The Listening Project in partnership with the British Library.

The ‘Speech Bubble’ is based on a standard trailer size and designed to be fully road-worthy to avoid the necessity for it to be constantly dismantled and re-assembled. It has also been designed as a kit of parts with 30 external and 10 Internal interlocking elements. Each lightweight element is limited to 2M lengths in order to fit comfortably within a standard passenger lift, with the aim for it to be easily assembled or dismantled in under an hour.
The curves of the bubble’s walls are an ideal shape for a recording studio, this combined with use of acoustic fabric panels, perforated ceiling rafts and acoustic furniture the cabin has been specifically designed to achieve the necessary acoustic performance and background noise level.
Inspired by the quotation mark on Radio 4’s brand mark, the architecture of the ‘Speech Bubble’ embodies the brand. The external illuminated polycarbonate screens allow the perfect opportunity to express BBC Radio 4 and the British Library’s brand marks, whereas The Listening Project brand mark has been abstracted into an interactive animated light sculpture on the external skin of the pod.

At the rear of the cabin is a producer’s desk and tea kitchen which can be either screened away or opened up depending on the preference of the users. In the closed position one way mirror panels creates an optical illusion in the small space and allows the producer to discretely monitor the conversations without intruding.

FACTS AND FIGURES
Project:

The Speech Bubble

Client:
BBC Radio 4
Budget
£40,000.00
Status:
Completed 2015
SCOPE OF WORK
  • Competition
  • Detail Design
  • Manufacture
AWARDS
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