Air conditioning

Eastbrook Studios

Delivering energy-efficient systems for London’s largest film studios.

Background

Eastbrook Studios in East Dagenham is the largest film and sound studio development in London.

Spanning 21 acres and totalling over 570,000 sq ft of space, the facility includes 12 stages, 250,000 sq ft of studio floors, and 280,000 sq ft of offices and ancillary areas.

Cross was engaged in January 2022, working with Dalkia UK as part of the mechanical and electrical team. Our role was to design and deliver an energy-efficient cooling and heating solution that could meet the demands of such a vast site, while staying within budget and tackling space constraints.

Challenge & Solution

Challenge

The scale of Eastbrook Studios created unique demands. The client required:

Heating and cooling systems that would meet strict sustainability standards.
Integration with ventilation systems and a site-wide building management system.
A cost-effective alternative to conventional wet systems.
Solutions that worked within limited plant space.

Balancing energy efficiency, cost, and space was critical to ensuring the studios could operate effectively while supporting the client’s long-term sustainability goals.

Solution

Cross introduced an alternative to traditional wet systems by proposing a VRV and DX solution. This provided significant energy and cost savings while ensuring seamless integration with the site’s building management systems.

Our package included:

Multiple Daikin VRV systems across seven office and studio blocks.
Daikin DX cooling and heating for AHU coils serving all studio spaces.
Split systems for comms and switch rooms throughout the site.
Denco 50kW duty/standby DX Crac equipment for the main IT server room.
Daikin air source heat pumps (ASHPs) for domestic hot water production.
Mitsubishi Q-ton units for hot water production and storage.

Summary

The completed systems delivered:

A green, energy-efficient solution aligned with the client’s sustainability targets.
Full integration with the building management system for easy monitoring and control.
Reliable heating and cooling across offices, studios, and technical spaces.
A budget-conscious approach without compromising performance.

Eastbrook Studios now stands as a flagship example of large-scale, energy-efficient building design. Cross is proud to have played a key role in helping bring one of London’s most ambitious creative hubs to life.