Buildings

A national network of nine new highly resilient Regional Control Centres (RCCs) will replace the existing 46 stand alone control rooms.

Each RCC is approximately 3000 m 2 set on a site of one hectare. It has three storeys with building services machinery, amenities and the main IT equipment room on the ground floor; the control room on the first floor and an operations room on the second floor.

The control room is a double height space with a contoured ceiling, giving an overall impression of space while providing an unobstructed view of the large screen. The screen and control room are also visible from the operations room.

Resilience

The RCC location was selected after a comprehensive process that included consideration of risks to the RCC (flooding, risk from aircraft); proximity to sufficient population for staffing; accessibility (public transport, roads) and services (IT telecommunications, water, power).

The facility is designed to be self-supporting for seven days - it includes uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), generators and fuel storage, with the ability to replenish fuel supplies from outside the secure area. It also has significant water and effluent storage.

Sustainability and environmental factors

Each RCC will achieve the Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method (BREEAM) 'Excellent' rating. This has been made possible by features such as low energy consumption, high thermal efficiency, very low water usage, excellent use of natural light, good facilities for staff and the use of sustainable building materials.

A great place to work

Considerable effort has gone into ensuring that the RCCs provide a pleasant, safe and secure working environment for all staff. Ergonomic experts have worked with control staff to design workstations. Lighting, acoustics, heating and air-conditioning systems have been designed with the specific needs of a control room in mind.