MAY
V&A
The Trilogy
In May, FDS was awarded its third contract at the famous museum. After successful works to two large galleries in 2024 and 2025, we are now undertaking the full strip-out and disassembly of the South Asia gallery.
The gallery is complete with double-height displays, mezzanine canopy decorations and statues. While most of the work will be done by FDS’ in house team, there will be collaboration with the V&A technical team over the lifting, disassembly and transport of the Ajmer Colonnade and Elephant Corbel.
The final element of the project will entail the reduction of around 500mm of solid floor build-up to reveal the historic mosaic under. This is a process we are accustomed to and upon completion, we will have uncovered over 12 million historic tiles across various galleries within the museum.
Projects Updates
Recent completions
We are wrapping up phase 1 of the works at 2 Foubert’s Place. A revisit is scheduled for later in summer once the main infratructural plant has been switched over to the new installations.
Elsewhere, contract works are complete at The Broadway in North London, however further works have since been instructed.
AI Integration
Stepping into the future
This month we began the ambitious (and somewhat humbling) task of integrating AI throughout the business. This isn’t with a view to outsourcing decisions or analysis. In fact, it’s about ensuring every process, decision, proposal is built with our philosophy in mind and our rules as their foundation.
Over the years, we’ve developed a very rich data set of inputs and outputs which themselves infer viability and productivity thresholds. These are already used to underwrite our pricing and programming, and the implementation of AI in this regard will only serve to enhance the robustness of the business moving forwards. We hope to be able to bring our clients along the journey with intelligent project dashboards and progress reconciliation.
“At FDS we are enhancing every decision with AI, data and industry knowledge.”
League Champions
22 Years in the making
As far as victories go, May saw arguably the most significant one of all, with our beloved Arsenal finally being crowned Champions of England for the first time in a generation.
Football in this country is such a part of the social fabric that even those who might turn their nose up at it can find themselves swept up in the fanfare when it’s there. It’s one of the first things colleagues get to know about one another, with fandoms and allegiances often serving as titular subheadings, just behind our names. Despite its superficial divisions, it’s one of the greatest unifiers that we can regularly engage in. At the parade on Sunday, over a million people celebrated together. There was no regard for age, colour, religion, political views, class, or any other social marker. The same was true at the impromptu celebrations around the stadium after the league victory was secured.
There was a collective exhalation of relief and the vindication of long-held belief, seasoned of course, with a large dose of smugness. There’s a lesson there for all walks of life. Shared purpose has a remarkable ability to bring people together, often in ways that our differences cannot pull apart. Whether it’s supporting a football club, building a business, delivering a project, or working towards a common goal, people achieve more when they believe in something bigger than themselves.
Till next season!
“Remember who you are, what you are and who you represent” – Rocky Rocastle.
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