Living Offices | S05E09 | Avila Spaces
Lisbon, Portugal [Go to PT version]
Avila Spaces is a coworking and office space, focused on making its international network of clients feel at home in the center of Lisbon. It is the first space of its kind in a large shopping center that also hosts other businesses, Atrium Saldanha. More than a coworking space for rent and turnkey services, Avila likes to connect people and grow the network between clients. That’s why they developed the app — Avila Connect — that connects, informs and recommends businesses and partners.
Office File
Company: Avila Spaces
Location: Lisbon
Total Area: 670 m2
Year: 2021
Capacity: 140 people
Industry: Office centre/Cowork
Office Design: Avila Design
Our contact with Avila Spaces coworking begins before we do the check-in. In the atrium of the Atrium Saldanha mall, we see along the area parallel to the indoor space, glass cubes that host meeting rooms for coworkers. Taking advantage of the transparency between the indoor and outdoor spaces, its intention is to connect businesses inside and outside the coworking space.
Coworking Space
We arrive at the reception and are greeted by an explosion of color and decoration that immediately makes us feel like wanting to go in, sit down and connect. This is what we see happening throughout all the areas. From the ceiling to the floor, the areas are very well defined and visually divided, creating a comfort of circulation that we perceive by the natural way in which we begin to circulate through the space.
As we walk to the left of the reception, we see the area with the yellow phone-booths being used. In this zone we see 4 more work areas. A quite zone for moments of focus, where silence is the main ally and with a curious story. In the original layout of the space, this area was the fitting rooms of the mall, which were transformed into larger booths, keeping the original mirrors. There are two meeting rooms with different dimensions. The colors give life and name to the spaces — Green, Orange — . Rooms are equipped with the technological equipment and innovative solutions that guarantee the rooms’ full functionality. The decoration details are rich and the coffee and tea machine are a must.
We return to the central area, parallel to the glass facade facing the street, and see an open area, which is made private and welcoming by the decorative solutions that organize the space: high plants, folding screens, high-floor lamps, armchairs. The open space is divided by areas with armchairs, sofas, and individual work tables or for more than one person. All the furniture is ergonomic and with a modern and welcoming design. There is a feeling of being home, but in the dream house.
Space for Offices
There are also work spaces for businesses that need an office for several employees. These provide a furnished and equipped rooms, with electricity, internet and cleaning costs included.
Transparency and dialogue between the areas prevails, being separated by glass walls. Thus, the offices have the privacy they need and are simultaneously integrated in the cowork. This interconnection is intentional and one of the added values offered by Avila Spaces, connecting people and growing the network between clients.
Kitchen
The kitchen is everyone’s favorite area to take a break. Here various nationalities and business areas meet, and more special, people who have chosen the same space, with the same vibe to work get to meet. Whether in the cowork or in an office space, the kitchen is used by everyone throughout the day.
The vibe is one for all and all for one. Everyone puts their dishes in the dishwasher, and puts them away when they’re clean. People can store and heat the meals they bring from home, and there is plenty of fresh fruit, coffee, and tea every day. The national beer couldn’t be missing for those convivial moments to relax.
Some teams use this space for having lunch together. This is also the ideal place to meet people from other businesses and to share the different flavors of different cultures.
Auditorium
In a space that welcomes so many people and generates meetings, a multi-purpose auditorium that is at the heart of the space, couldn’t be missing. For events and meetings or product and services showcasing of the different startups, this area transforms according to the needs. The materials chosen ensure sound insulation when you are here, with the option to run a curtain to gain the necessary privacy.
Sounds of the office
Suraj Naik, GeniusU “When I came here, I walked in and signed up for the place. I new this was it! The place can be formal if it has to be formal, it can be informal if it has to be informal. It’s got the best of both worlds. You’ve got these popups of energy and the community vibe. I try to come everyday. What’s really cool is that it’s not just the space inside, we’ve met outside, we’ve played golf together. It’s also getting into that Lisbon Portuguese culture. You get lots of knowledge when you get in here.”
Maria Falcão, Harpoon Jobs “We think that the flexibility, the youth, the energy that’s lived here in Avila Spaces has a lot to do with our way of being (in Harpoon jobs). I think there are great synergies, you meet new people from other startups, from other businesses, and it’s good because it also generates new business contacts. The space is multifaceted and serves well for our team. From the phone-booths that isolate sound very well, to the kitchen for team lunches, or the tables in different areas and the sofas. Here at Avila Spaces, what I feel is different from other coworks, is that we have a very large international team, and this is good and challenges us.”
Job Verberne, Exotic Orange “I came here because I’m ambitious with my business and I need a professional workplace. Some other workplaces are more café vibes, almost to informal for me. Avila has the perfect combination between work and play.”
