The Financial Times TV studio in London
UK - When Projects Department Ltd won the contract to create two live studios and two breaking news spots for the Financial Times TV studio in London, Doughty Engineering was quickly brought on board to supply a range of broadcast kit.
Peter Daffarn, managing director, Projects Department Ltd explains: "The client briefed us to create the studios and news spots for presenting live news bulletins at short notice and for occasional use and, with Doughty being our go-to company for hoists and grids, we knew they'd be fundamental to the project from the start."
Building a bulletin studio meant that Projects Department Ltd had a smaller than usual space to work with, therefore the design and build needed to be imaginative. The studios were required to be integrated into a working office space and, with a number of high-profile guests visiting, the client wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. The lack of height in the studios was a major factor as Daffarn explains: "Due to limited space, Doughty's Dan Phillips and I spent time creating a grid that was both aesthetically pleasing and functionally slimline. Dan has been central to the reason I work a lot with Doughty. I often share early design thoughts with him and we bounce ideas between us as no two studios are ever the same. Once we are on site installing, I know I could call Dan on a Sunday and he would try his best to help."
Doughty and Projects Department Ltd designed and installed the ‘Flat Grid’ which was first used at the Tate Modern and was essential to the clean look of the studio. Photon Beard also re-engineered one of its existing lamp heads into a new unit. The Highlight XT was designed and built for the specific needs of FT-TV. "They wanted to be able to light a presenter from the moment they came into shot and moved across the studio. Due to limited grid space we couldn't use as many multiple lamps as you would traditionally, so the Highlight XT met this need", adds Daffarn.
He concludes: "The team at FT-TV are extremely pleased with the result – from the quality of the product to the service provided – from quotation to aftercare. Working with Doughty on high profile projects like this is the obvious choice. From director level to warehouse dispatch team, I know I can rely on them to do their utmost to help me. Secondly, but also very important is the engineering support and knowledge and lastly but by no means least, their selection of products and build quality is second to none. Whether I'm after standard items or specially design parts, I can rely on Doughty to provide excellent service."

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