A new, 1.3-million-square-foot film production complex has opened in Burnaby, B.C.

The launch significantly expands high-end studio infrastructure in a region known as a premier Canadian movie and TV production hub.

Lake City Studios, a $350-million facility with 21 sound stages, is one of the largest purpose-built film studios in North America, The Globe and Mail reported. The new complex is owned by Burnaby, B.C.-based Bridge Studios, a subsidiary of Vancouver-headquartered Larco Investments.

The opening comes as Hollywood North experiences a resurgence, adding capacity to a market driven by demand for high-end television and streaming productions, according to the Globe.

“What British Columbia has really become known for in the last 10 years is being able to produce very high-end television series,” B.C. Film Commissioner Marnie Gee told the Globe.

The province hosts major productions such as Shōgun and The Last of Us, as well as the upcoming Every Year After series.

“To have such a premier facility like Lake City alongside all of our other incredible studios, it just makes us an even better sell,” Gee told her Globe interviewer.

The complex is located near the Lake City Way SkyTrain station, offering access for about 5,000 workers. It includes parking for 1,000 vehicles and 200 electric vehicle charging stations. The site features between 18 and 21 sound stages, depending on configuration, ranging from 7,900 to 42,000 sf. According to Bridge Studios’ website, one stage alone comprises almost an acre.

The new facility also contains 100,000 sf of office space and more than 300,000 sf dedicated to production-support functions, the Globe reported.

“There’s a great deal of satisfaction in seeing Lake City being used by the production companies, that it’s as busy as it is and that it is making this contribution to the city of Burnaby,” Craig Mitchell, lead architect and principal at Arc Studio Architecture, told the Globe.

He noted that such large studios are typically built on less accessible industrial land due to the need for total silence from one studio another so that unwanted sounds do not cross over.

“The interior walls between sound stages are about five-feet wide with sound-absorbing blankets layered in between,” Mitchell told his interviewer.

The studios also feature clear spans of about 30 feet and heights ranging from 50 to 75 feet, enabling complex stunts and aerial-camera work.

“Studios want enough height so that they can perform exciting stunts in a controlled and safe environment,” Mitchell told the Globe.

Built by Bird Construction, project used enough concrete to fill 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools and 8,600 tonnes of structural steel, according to the Gobe. The facility is powered by renewable BC Hydro electricity and uses energy-efficient heat-pump technology.

A 40,000-sf green roof supports stormwater management and reduces heat, the Globe noted.

Environmental protections were also incorporated, including buffers around Eagle Creek, a salmon-bearing stream.

“Over 7% of the total site is protected for streamside conservation,” Jesse Dill, development director for the City of Burnaby, told the Globe. “We see a site like this being hopefully a catalyst for other great proposals in the same neighborhood.”

Pictured: Lake City Studios in Burnaby, B.C.

Image: Bridge Studios