Big Blue

The brief from the client was to provide a sustainable, speedy, and economic solution for the provision of a temporary structure to house ten tv studios and 480m2 of catering space, with the first floor studios above the 10m level.

At 9 storeys high, the Big Blue has created space for ground floor food outlets with a kitchen, technical rooms and ten broadcasting studios over a further two floors - each one offering unobstructed views through the 5 m2 window panels.

Building Facts

• The structure consists of 114 12m shipping containers. 
• It weighs 684 tonnes - 700,000kg. It is 24 metres high. 
• It took four months to prefabricate. 
• It was craned into place in just 15 days.  
• More than 90% of the building can be recycled without waste.

Sustainability

• The sustainability requirement was met by the selection of ISO shipping containers as the basic modular unit. 
• The spacer levels (required to eleavte the studio floors) have not been modified and can therefore be recycled into the container hire fleet.
• The studio and concession levels have been designed in such a way that they can be reconfigured and reused on other sites.  
• The services are distributed in such a way that they can be removed and reused without waste.

Speed and Economy

The speed element was met by off site prefabrication and on site assembly. A four storey extension was delivered and erected just 20 days after the client instructed us. 

The cost per cubic metre was kept low by means of capturing the space between the container 'legs' and ensuring the maximum re-use value of the components.