Dolby’s history is steeped in innovation and ground-breaking technology in the pursuit of audio-visual excellence.
Dolby was founded in London in 1965, now headquartered in San Francisco with offices around the globe. From movies and TV shows, to apps, music,sports and gaming, Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences for billions of people worldwide.
Today, its heritage in the UK Capital continues with its EMEA Headquarters operating out of Soho Square in an innovative and imaginative environment that encourages creative excellence.
The building also houses a 60+-seater Dolby Screening Room to showcase its remarkable cutting-edge technology and regularly hosts private screenings as well as being used by creators for mixing and grading some of Hollywood’s biggest movies.
Working with Clare Biscoe, Dolby’s newly appointed Real Estate & Workplace Manager, Active was engaged to manage its FM services and support the business through the refurbishment.
Active was awarded a 3 year TFM contract in January 2020 and set to work to review and improve Dolby’s planned maintenance regime.
The contract is a bespoke solution to Dolby and covers all cleaning, both external and internal, including deep cleans to server rooms. A full-time Engineer is resident on-site to facilitate planned and reactive maintenance. Statutory compliance includes fire systems and suppression, CCTV, access control, intruder alarm, HVAC, boilers and pumps, BMS, UPS, PAT electrical testing, speed gates, water hygiene testing and air quality testing.
In addition, a specialist deep clean of the Air Handling Units and installation of high grade filters was carried out to ensure the safe flow of air, particularly significant in the working environment throughout the Covid Pandemic and ensuring Post-Covid the building is a safe place to be.
Active also provides a help-desk facility to ensure the timey resolution of any issues raised.
Fresh flowers, interior planters, the provision of fresh fruit, soft drinks and milk daily are also taken care of by Active.
A number of projects were also undertaken which included the temporary relocation of people and equipment prior to the commencement of the Soho Square refurbishment works.
Active provided a dedicated, on-site, Workplace Change Manager to help the business navigate this operation and worked closely with Dolby’s Main Contractor to ensure maintenance and reactive works were scheduled to complete without disruption to the refurbishment programme.
A planned refurbishment of Dolby’s roof garden was completed by Active in March 2021 ready for reoccupation in April.
Benefits and Result
Trust and transparency sit at the heart of everything that Active stands for and having an on-site presence meant that Active could provide day to day support, often above and beyond the contract terms, with a proactive approach to mitigating risk setting the scene.
Active’s hands-on approach worked well with the needs and challenges throughout Dolby’s temporary relocation and refurbishment phases and helped to cement a reputation for acting as an extension of Dolby’s in-house team.
