Building the office of the future at Sky

Sky Central is the latest building to open at Sky’s HQ – home to 3,500 of the 7,500 people on the campus, which has been designed to encourage the flow of people and ideas around the business, making it easier for people to collaborate, irrespective of the department they work in.

Mace has been working with Sky since 2013 to help the entertainment company to realise its ambition to radically reshape the Sky Campus in Osterley, in west London, to provide the right facilities and a high quality working environment for employees.

By working collaboratively with Sky from the initial design stages of the Sky Central development, our team was able to undertake an initial review of the internal spaces and then work closely with the architect and structural engineers to allow for construction and design to take place in tandem. This phased approach gave greater flexibility to Sky and its design team to design and build as the project progressed.  

Prior to Sky Central, Mace constructed the adjacent 'Believe in Better' building on the campus, a new academy to educate young talent, as well as a health and fitness centre.  

Achieving high levels of sustainability was important to both Sky and Mace and the focus on this element of the development saw Sky Central designed to a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’. Features include the installation of a rainwater harvesting system, solar panels and high-efficiency lighting to minimise energy consumption.  

Alterations to the design also saw more than 400 roof light cassettes changing from a metal composite to a timber option. The team also altered the roof design from timber-clad steel beams to glued, laminated (glulam) timber. By preassembling these in multiple locations, we also raised the bar for health and safety as this reduced the need to work at height on site.  

The project, completed in just three years, exemplified the breadth of Mace’s expertise, with the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health), logistics, utilities and fit out parts of the 'Mace Family' working together on the delivery of the new campus.  

Andrew Jackson, Construction Project Manager at Sky, said: “Sky Central’s design provides Sky colleagues and visitors with an inspiring and energising environment in which to work and meet. The use of vast open floor plates, large atria and mezzanines with a multitude of interconnecting ramps and stairs provide a unique experience.”  

Mark Reynolds, Chief Executive at Mace, said: “Working with Sky on their campus redevelopment has been a real partnership in every sense of the word. From collaborating with the client to develop bespoke buildings fit for purpose, to bringing in different parts of the Mace business to address challenges and provide a high quality service for Sky. I’m very pleased with the new home we’ve created for Sky and Sky Central really is the centrepiece of the development and will ensure Sky’s place as a leading entertainment business for the future.”  

Graham Barter, Mace Project Director at Sky, said: “Working on Sky Central has been a pleasure and great learning experience. The team worked hard together in response to the evolving brief and the project requirements for the highest level of safety, quality and delivery. Everyone who worked on the project brought a proactive, collaborative and open approach to the delivery of Sky Central. We took a flexible and sustainable approach to this project and the building is now an impressive structure on Sky’s campus which reflects its business of ‘finding a better way’.”

Trevor Bacon, Como Business Unit Director, said: “We were delighted to work with our Mace colleagues to deliver an integrated service on another project for Sky at their campus in Osterley. Sky wanted a high quality work environment with the right facilities for their staff and we are proud to have been part of delivering their vision.”