An office building with untraditional content and design

BARCODE’s new eastern face

This eleven-story building is the last of BARCODE’s 13 buildings to be completed and the farthest to the east. Built on a narrow wedge-shaped lot, the building’s offices are only 5–10 metres wide. Each floor has meeting rooms cantilevered out over the eastern façade, a space-saving feature that adds a lively architectonic quality. An exterior stairway / fire escape zigzags between these meeting-room boxes, further enhancing the building’s iconic sculptural expression – facing the Mediaeval Park and the City of Oslo to the east, this is a fitting conclusion to BARCODE’s long row of façades.

LIGHT AND AIRY

Open spaces without any structural columns offer great flexibility for the tenants, providing a light-filled and airy working environment for every single employee. Floor-to-ceiling windows ensure plenty of daylight and spectacular views of the Ekebergåsen hill to the east, the Oslofjord to the south, and Bjørvika bay to the west.

The rough red brick façade is a striking contrast to the other BARCODE buildings, adding an interesting visual element to the neighbourhood.

This building is categorised as Energy Class B. Durable, eco-friendly materials and products have been used at every stage of the building process. The main materials are brick, steel and wood, and both the materials and the craftsmanship are of the highest quality.

INFORMAL MEETING PLACES

The office designs emphasise efficient use of space and encourage frequent informal contact between the users of the building:

• Everyone uses the same elevator. Direct access to the reception and work areas gives every user and visitor a strong sense of the building’s atmosphere.
• The exterior stairway / fire escape is perfect for an informal chat or catching a breath of fresh air. It is also an alternative route between the various floors and gives access to the common areas in the top of the building.
• The most important meeting places are the shared restaurant and lounge on the 10^th floor, and the 11^th floor roof terrace which offers a magnificent panorama of Oslo and the fjord beyond.
• The basement contains showers, wardrobes, storage areas, bicycle parking, and parking and charging stations for electric cars. These facilities are designed to encourage eco-friendly commuting to work.
  
  

AN INNOVATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

A key goal of this office building is enabling small, innovative enterprises to establish themselves in BARCODE, Oslo’s new “central business district”. The office building is tailored for small companies with 15–35 employees who want everyone on the same floor. A healthy mix of enterprises will encourage multidisciplinary cooperation between the various professional groups, enhancing innovation. In this way, this modestly-sized building will actually promote greater diversity than will be found in many of the large multinationals that have their offices nearby.