Vancouver-based Bridge Studios has set plans to build 42 new sound stages in nearby Burnaby, B.C. over the next four years.

The new construction will bring the total number of Bridge Studios sound stages in operation to 55, with lighting and grip equipment to be exclusively supplied by MBS Equipment Company.

The sound stages will be built across four studios, including new locations such as Griffiths, set to open in 2023 with four sound stage facilities across five acres; Lake City, opening in 2025 with 21 sound stages on 18 acres; and Marine Way, opening in 2026 with 16 sound stages on 18.5 acres.

An additional sound stage will also be built for the existing Boundary Road campus (pictured), bringing its total stages to 14 by 2026.

Each new facility will be considered “fossil fuel-free” and will operate using hydro-electricity. The stages will be 50-feet in height and range from 9,000 square feet to more than 30,000 square feet, along with onsite parking.

Stationed on 15 acres of land, the Bridge Boundary Road studio has hosted more than 1,000 productions since 1987, including the original MacGyver, Stargate (both the film and TV series,) Once Upon A Time, and such feature films as First Blood (Rambo), Jumanji and Legends Of The Fall.

“With 55 sound stages up and operating within the next four years, the City of Burnaby and British Columbia will be an undisputed leader for filming outside of Hollywood,” said Ron Hrynuik, general manager at Bridge Studios, in a statement.

British Columbia’s film and TV production industry generated a record-breaking $4.8 billion in direct spending in 2021, according to the Vancouver Economic Commission, signalling that demand for studio space in the country’s major production hubs has continued to grow since the pandemic began.

Image courtesy of Bridge Studios