GS1 is an international non-profit organization dealing with business standards such as barcodes, QR codes, classification of goods, packaging, etc. For its new headquarters in Lisbon, a morally and technically obsolete 1980s building was chosen on one of the country's first innovative IAPMEI campuses, in the Lumiar district. A competition was held for the renovation project in 2014, which the Promontorio bureau won together with the street artist Vhils (Alexander Fartu).
The main facade of the building is now glazed; the interior is protected from sunlight and heat by angled concrete panels. Wils' bas-relief is applied to them, the theme of which is criticism of modern information chaos and visual noise. At the same time, this art project is the result of long-term work by the artist and architects on the technology of casting large-scale precast concrete parts.
In the interior, the building remained two-story, with coffered panels and supports placed along an orthogonal grid. The first floor is occupied by a showroom with media installations, as well as an auditorium and technical rooms. On the second tier there are offices with a free plan, where meeting rooms and utility rooms are hidden in “islands” with opaque walls. On the rooftop there are common areas with a coffee bar and a shaded terrace.
The theme of reconstruction, reuse is emphasized by open concrete ceilings in the interior with clearly visible wires and a ventilation system, without a false ceiling. They contrast with human-sized materials that are pleasant to the touch: cork, fabrics, carpets, linoleum. The project budget was 2 million euros, the total area of the building is 1750 m2.
