St Albans company to build brand new Sky Studios

Sky Studios Elstree, which are set to open in 2022, will house 13 sound stages for a range of film and TV productions from Sky and NBCUniversal; attracting £3 billion of production spend over the first five years of operation.

The project will play a key role in delivering Sky’s ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2030.

BAM, who are also based in Hemel Hempstead, has been selected for its expertise in constructing large-scale projects and will optimise the design for sustainability, including sourcing materials that are local and low carbon. The project will use circular economy approaches to reduce waste over the Studios’ lifetime.

Once operational, Sky Studios Elstree will not use gas or fossil fuels to power day-to-day running of the site – instead it will source renewable energy with the capability to generate up to 20 per cent of energy on-site through solar energy.

Sky Studios Elstree will also not allow any single-use plastic in its operations on site, and will harvest rainwater.

James Wimpenny, chief executive of BAM Construct UK, said: “We are proud to be an integral partner to achieving such an ambitious and sustainable scheme that will not only support the growth of the creative economy in the UK, but lead the way for others.

"This world class scheme reflects our own goals to be net zero carbon by 2030, to assist our clients in delivering net zero development and to enhance the lives of local communities, creating added social value.”

Caroline Cooper, chief operating officer at Sky Studios, said: “Sky Studios Elstree will enable us to produce more and more Sky Originals for our customers and is a key cornerstone of Sky’s commitment to become Net Zero Carbon by 2030.

"Working with BAM, we will select materials and use construction methods that support our goal to build the most sustainable film and TV studio in the world.”