The studio are being built for broadcaster Sky and NBCUniversal, both owned by the US telecoms giant Comcast. Insurance group Legal & General is also backing the £192m project.
BAM hopes to start construction in the spring.
Set to open in 2022 just north of London, Sky Studios Elstree will have 13 sound stages and aspire to be zero carbon in due course.
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% of energy on-site through solar energy. BAM Energy, part of BAM Construct UK, is assisting Sky to maximise the solar energy that is generated and used by the new studios. Sky’s ambition is to become net zero carbon by 2030.
BAM said it was one of the biggest contracts that it has ever won in the UK.
It was selected on the basis that it 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.
The design for the new studios is being delivered by UMC Architects, Fairhurst and Hoare Lea, with Potter Raper Partnership as quantity surveyor and project manager.
It is expected that 900 jobs will be created during the construction phase and a further 1,500 once the studio is operational.
Sky Studios chief operating officer Caroline Cooper said: “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.”
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.”
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