The major remediation project will involve replacing the entire 16,000 sq m roof as Sky moves to finally address a structural problem that dates back to the building’s original construction around a decade ago.
The scale of the replacement work presents a significant engineering challenge, requiring extensive roof repairs along with the reinstatement of associated plant and equipment.
Described as Europe’s largest flat timber roof, the existing structure consists of 472 prefabricated wooden skylight cassettes supported by a network of glue-laminated timber beams.
The landmark roof suffered extensive water damage during Mace’s original construction project between 2014 and 2016, when rainwater penetrated the timber cassettes.
Water became trapped within the cassettes, causing the timber to swell, decay and progressively deteriorate over time.
The resulting problems triggered a long-running insurance dispute between Sky, Mace and a group of insurers over responsibility for the cost of repairing the damaged roof.
The dispute reached the Court of Appeal in December 2024, when judges ruled that insurers were liable for foreseeable deterioration arising from damage that had originated during the insured construction period.
Sky and Mace subsequently agreed to settle the £138m insurance claim in February this year.
The original £220m Sky Central building was completed in 2016 and provides accommodation for more than 3,500 staff, as well as studios, production facilities and office space.
Earlier court documents indicated that the remediation programme was expected to continue until 2029.
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