Project Overview
BPI All I One is an innovative and unique project in the panorama of Portuguese retail banking, creating a new avant-garde reference point for a future that is digital, inclusive, and sustainable.
The project for Banco BPI, the commercial banking arm of Portugal’s third largest financial group, sought to condense six different departments including front-of-office service functions as well as back office, at its new flagship Lisbon headquarters in the iconic Monumental Saldanha building.
The new integrated concept was underpinned by the fundamental Banco BPI brand principles of experience and harmony, which were translated architecturally in line with the bank’s aspirations to revolutionize the customer and public experience.
The approach saw the creation of spaces and installations that support the highest levels of customer care and exceptional service while allowing the spaces to assert themselves to create a user experience that was surprising, captivating, and unforgettable.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
BM - Margarida Caldeira, Stuart Rough, Francisco Silva, Joana Mendao, Diogo Damas
CBRE - Domingos Castelo Branco, Ricardo Serrano, Hugo Ferreira, Andria Cascais
Project Brief
BPI All In One is a commitment to creating a completely new and disruptive retail banking experience, bringing together all of the different service elements of the bank into a single unified space that is as experiential as it is functional.
The new ‘All-In-One’ concept emerges from the deviation of the BPI slogan ‘The Future is Now’ to ‘The Journey is Now’ with a focus on leading the customer a journey that transcends a mere visit to a bank.
The new facility responds not just to the functional needs of the bank, with public, service and back areas, but embraces a sense of the unexpected through the dynamic use of space, colour and technology throughout the public spaces.
The concept assumes the transformation of the customer experience and invites them to step into the BPI world, to experience this new universe that is derived as a series of unique moments.
Project Innovation/Need
The desire to create a spatial experience like no other continued to evolve throughout the process with a clear desire from the client that the result should breach expected boundaries to the point of being almost surreal.
This meant introducing different elements through the process that were not just physical but also challenged the senses of the customer.
One aspect of this was the introduction of a new scent for the space with tiny notes of wood, oranges and flowers, evoking senses that are reinforced in the shapes and colours used across the space.
There are other pod areas around the space with flavoured waters to taste or the latest 3D technology, all designed to challenge the senses and encourage the customer to think beyond the reason they may have actually visited the bank.
BPI All-In-One is still a bank but inspired by the trends and ideas seen more commonly in retail and hospitality, focused not just on what customers need but also how they feel. The result is a space that is exciting and avant-garde where customers don’t just want to visit, they want to stay.
Design Challenge
As with any project with no precedent, there were various design challenges that had to be overcome as the project evolved.
At the heart of the project was understanding and reimagining customer service typologies and then establishing a concept where these could be delivered within the confines of a building with poor natural lighting conditions and limited natural ventilation while also seamlessly incorporating the required technology within the proposed architecture.
The result is a series of spaces that respond to customer needs while continuously challenging the user’s senses in an innovative and exciting way.
The customer journey itself begins in a spacious and fluid space with two entrances, one of which offers a spectacular double-height atrium with digital walls where fluid patterns continually change colour and appearance. This area can be secured at one end when the bank is closed, providing 24-hour access to ATMs and ensuring that function is never compromised over form.
The ground floor is connected to a lower and upper floor through a mezzanine and at the edge of the welcome area is a sculpted staircase that connects the lower and ground floor, creating an open feel to the scheme while also maximising the available natural light.
A warm palette with vibrant notes, including a lavish use of the orange that dominates BPI’s visual brand as well as the significant use of white, is used to not only ensure a light and airy atmosphere but also highlights the different areas.
Sustainability
This project responds to the increasing post-pandemic trend of doing more with less as an increasing number of businesses employ hybrid working practices, significantly reducing the carbon output compared to the operation the new store has replaced.
The new flagship headquarters has also been designed within an iconic office building in the heart of Lisbon, which had become increasingly moribund until completely reimagined and refurbished by Broadway Malyan, securing its long-term future without the need to build a new building.
In a bid to minimise the carbon footprint of the scheme, the majority of the materials used for the fit-out hail from Portugal including the cork used for acoustic wall elements and burel wool wall panels.
The entire scheme has a highly efficient and intelligent lighting system that adjusts to the changing daylight conditions throughout the day while there are significant biophilic elements throughout the back office to support wellbeing and improve the quality of the air.
Interior Design - International Retail
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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