Audio Visual Systems Case Study
Expedia
The Angel Building in Islington is home to Expedia’s European Headquarters, and features 50 themed meeting rooms including 8 video conference rooms, training rooms and a boardroom. The Expedia HQ also has a live events space for presentations and open plan areas as community spaces with interactive screens, video walls and displays.
Created by Edge Architecture and Design based on ‘Infinite Horizons’ and ‘Inspiring Destinations’ each room is inspired by a well known visitor attraction or location to reflect the global nature of the company.
Feltech successfully pitched to consultants MJC for the audio visual contract to supply and fit out the state of the art Headquarters in October 2011, completing the first stage of the project in December 2012. Following the success of the initial contract Feltech have since been asked to work on additional rooms on site, with two and a half floors of the building around 90,000 square feet, designed for 800 staff, now complete.
During construction scheduling and teamwork was paramount, with many trades requiring access to rooms simultaneously. Feltech’s team of experienced installation engineers and project managers successfully worked alongside the building outfitters, electricians, artists and designers around the clock to complete the project on time and on budget.
The “Market Place” is the main eating and collaborating area for Expedia staff which also incorporates the IT helpdesk for the office. The area features multiple 40 inch Samsung screens displaying the Feltech installed IPTV system and desk mounted ipads.
Alongside the Market Place a series of recreational areas complement the office space including table football and 55 inch wall mounted screens with xbox 360’s.
The main reception area welcomes visitors with a video wall comprised of 9 46 inch Samsung screens and a Bose speaker system, displaying a variety of content including commercials and company information.
The 50 meeting rooms are all individually themed spaces designed to inspire and motivate the staff, including state of the art technology integrated with props and interior design elements. The “Lands End” room features a wall made of flip flops and a mural of the famous wooden signpost – the Australia room has a desk centrepiece made from a surfboard. The Brighton room is inspired by 1960’s film Quadraphenia and has a wall covered in scooter light; the London room has a mural of the map of the Thames and each chair is the colour of a different tube line.
Whether classical or modern all rooms include key audio visual elements seemlessly integrated into the design. Eight of the rooms are designated video conference suites with Polycom HDX 8000 HDVC solutions and Polycom touch panels in dual set set ups to allow participants to hold standard video conferencing or content sharing sessions.
The operations centre for Expedia.com, the nerve centre of the website business monitoring website traffic and online transactions is also situated in the Angel Building. Feltech installed three screens along with the necessary technical feeds in this area to ensure the technicians have all the information they need at their fingertips 24 hours a day.
The building also houses the European Headquarters for Hotels.com, occupying space on the fifth floor. The Hotels.com area is complemented by a series of 5 touch screens embedded in a wall displaying an interactive map of the world.
Expedia’s Internal Project Manager Matt Saul, said “A professional, highquality installation & a pleasure to work with you”.
For more information about Feltech’s audio visual services contact one of our experienced technical team on sales@feltech.co.uk.
