The new riverside headquarters cost £188m to build

After more than 70 years in the west end, the broadcaster has moved to a £188m building on the south side, which features the latest digital technology.

BBC Director General Mark Thompson and Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the opening at Pacific Quay.

Mr Thompson said the new centre would help the BBC continue to "faithfully tell Scotland's story".

The 34,000 sq m digital centre was designed by David Chipperfield Architects whose aim was to incorporate three key elements - digital broadcasting studios, offices and substantial public areas.

BBC SCOTLAND - KEY DATES 1923 - BBC operations begin in Scotland 1936 - the Queen Margaret Drive (QMD) centre opens 1964 - new television wing opens at QMD 2002 - staff in Edinburgh move to the new Tun building 2006 - BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra moves to the City Halls in Glasgow 2007 - staff move in phases to the new Pacific Quay building Commission into broadcasting BBC chief makes pledge Brown hails city's new era

Members of the public will be able to access the main entrance foyer which has cafe facilities, information displays and interactive facilities.

Red sandstone was selected as the main material for the most dramatic feature in the building - the central staircase or "street".

It sits alongside steel, glass and concrete finishes giving a reflective nod to Glasgow tenements and the shipbuilding heritage of the Prince's Dock site on which the building stands.

The building's design represents the process of broadcast production from the studios at the base to the satellite dishes on the roof.

The new technology at the Pacific Quay building has enabled the broadcaster to move away from using tapes to a digital file-based system that fully integrates television, radio and online.

The new centre also features the UK's most advanced broadcast studios and production facilities.

The public will be able to use interactive facilities

The main studio, Studio A, is the biggest TV recording space to be built in Scotland and the second largest TV studio in Britain.

It features a hi-tech "hover pad" audience seating system which can be towed in and out of the studio when required.

It is also capable of hosting 320 people seated and is the first high definition facility of its kind in Europe.

In addition, staff and visitors can use the wireless networks (one internal, one external), which provide access to the internet for all users who have their own laptops or other wi-fi enabled devices.

Last month, the Scottish Government announced that a commission would be established to look into Scottish broadcasting.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the most pressing issue facing the new body was a dramatic cut in television production in Scotland in recent years.