Case Study: Lisbon Cuatrecasas Headquarters Project
Jan 27 2022
The new Cuatrecasas headquarters in the Portuguese capital has been designed to be a collaborative and interactive workplace, where people feel at ease. It is very much a part of the changing patterns in workspaces, which are increasingly becoming places which encourage creativity, productivity and well-being.
With a surface area of around 10,000 m² and space for more than 400 workers, the layout of the new headquarters includes many different areas where meeting areas coexist naturally with individual workstations. This situation means that there is a need to work with lighting for different industry segments. The functions carried out in each workspace are different, which means different types of lighting are required to meet the specific needs of each area.
We work with flexible lighting that can adapt to the individual tasks to be carried out in each workspace. The lighting takes into account the people who will work there, especially regarding their safety, and physical and emotional well-being. This lighting is ideal for the creation of flexible and integrated workspaces.
New Cuatrecasas headquarters in Lisbon
This building, situated in the Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo, in the centre of the Portuguese capital, was inaugurated in 1971. It has been completely refurbished and meets the aesthetic and functional standards required by Cuatrecasas. It is an accessible, comfortable and energy-efficient building.
The Cuatrecasas offices include different types of workspaces - individual offices, rooms for internal or client meetings, open spaces for work teams, and other individual rooms - as well as areas for events and recreation, such as the auditorium, training rooms, a catering area, a gym, and a library, .....
The refurbishment project of the new Cuatrecasas headquarters, carried out by GCA Architects, uses the latest technological innovations, all with the aim of creating more efficient and functional areas that meet the people’s needs. Through technology, applied to both the building work and management of the spaces, they have successfully created an eminently digital environment that will result in greater productivity, safety and efficiency in the work carried out there on a daily basis.
The technology used in space management can also be applied to lighting, with automatic management systems that offer greater control and greater energy efficiency.
Lighting to boost collaboration and well-being
The strategy behind Cuatrecasas' change of headquarters in Lisbon is to move towards more flexible workspaces that encourage collaboration and interdepartmental integration. At the same time, they aim to use this technology to offer safer environments that will guarantee users’ well-being.
The facilities include open workspaces where technology plays an important role. Just as with the air-conditioning of the building, lighting will also use automation to ensure an optimal use of resources.
Different lighting solutions have been combined in order to achieve a balance between comfort, efficiency, and environmental awareness:
- General lighting in offices: the Fil 45 structure has been chosen, which is made from more than 80% recycled extruded aluminium.
- Accent lighting: The Hance directional and projection luminaire, complemented by the Moody family of downlights.
- Fine LED Strip was used for the ambient lighting, both in the recesses and indirectly.
- Outdoor lighting was created with the Xtrema family of recessed luminaires designed for LED light, and Micro Shot outdoor projectors.
The lighting is both technical and functional, offering different lighting solutions depending on the characteristics of each of the areas and workspaces, but always ensuring that the workers who use the Cuatrecasas offices will feel comfortable. The aim is to always convey a sense of well-being, whatever the type of lighting, making people feel that they are part of something significant, creating synergies to enable and encourage the creation of collaborative work environments.
LAMP has helped to achieve these objectives by providing its experience in intelligent, integrative, and dynamic lighting, which is able to adapt to spaces and people, thus guaranteeing quality technical solutions that are flexible and geared towards the users’ well-being.