Bristol City Council is a key player in the city’s film and TV industries. The council is the owner of Bristol Film Office, a one-stop shop for filming support, and The Bottle Yard Studios, the largest production facility in the West of England.
The Bottle Yard 2, known as TBY2, is the latest addition to this innovative portfolio. The new facility provides three large, fully sound insulated, acoustically treated film studio spaces. AtkinsRéalis was appointed in 2020 to lead the TBY2 project, which refurbished and extended a warehouse near the main Bottle Yard Studios.
They were appointed via our Professional Services Framework, which gave Bristol City Council a compliant procurement route, and enabled their preferred supply chain to be appointed as AtkinsRéalis’ subconsultants during the pre-contract phase.
This was a technically complex project, with significant acoustic challenges. AtkinsRéalis worked closely with their client on a two-stage procurement process, in order that the project received the full benefit of the contractor’s early design input. This resulted in informed specification of the best products and materials, and optimal buildability.
Value for money was of course a priority on this public sector project. AtkinsRéalis scrutinised the costs presented by the contractor to ensure materials and overall works costs were fair market values, including project-critical items such as the full height acoustic partitions. During this contract agreement stage, they produced £127k cost savings.
During the construction stage, on-site findings prompted change to the M&E scope which they evaluated with assistance from AtkinsRéalis’ specialist M&E cost management team.
TBY2 is powered by a rooftop 1MWp solar array, consisting of 2,300 PV panels. This is funded by the Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC) and makes the studio one of the UK’s most sustainable filming facilities and one of its largest community-owned solar arrays.
The completed studio facility plays a central role in Bristol’s cultural and commercial identity, helping sustain the city’s reputation as a UNESCO City of Film. It also augments the benefits that film and TV production bring to the city’s fiscal and social economy. Bristol Film Office recently announced that the sector generated c£20.8m in 2021-22, and the two Bottle Yard sites are expected to create c1000 jobs over the next 10 years.
Jonathan Oram, Director of Frameworks at Pagabo, said: “We’re delighted that our Professional Services Framework was utilised by Bristol City Council to appoint AtkinsRéalis as the lead consultant for The Bottle Yard 2 project. The new facility will play a key role in developing Bristol’s TV and film industries and we’re proud to have been involved.”
Oliver Roberts, Senior Project Manager at Bristol City Council, said: “The AtkinsRéalis team has always been extremely responsive, committed to providing good advice and helping resolve difficult issues in a professional and efficient manner. I have high confidence in being able to rely on their services. “
Richard Bray, Associate Director at AtkinsRéalis, said: “This was a bespoke and technically complex project and our team ensured that Bristol City Council achieved value for money. The resulting facility expands Bristol’s studio infrastructure and enhances the city’s reputation as a competitive provider in the broadcast sector, capable of attracting the best in UK film and television production to the region.”
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