Living Offices | S04E01 | Now_No OfficeWork | Beato
Lisbon, Portugal [Go to PT Version]
NOW_ means No Office Work and arose with the mission of being a space for authentic work, non conventional and with meaning for everyone who works there. A space where an organic community overcomes the harsh real estate. NOW_ has two locations: NOW_Coworklisboa and NOW_Beato which we visited.
Office File
Company: Now_No Office Work | Now_Beato
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Total Area: 1900m2
Year: 2018
Industry: Coworking
Office Design: NOW_Beato team and coworkers; rehabilitation by atelier Promontório
The idea of Now_No Office Work emerged when a group of entrepreneurs was looking for a warehouse of 300m2 to convert into their office, but found instead a 3.000m2 space full of soul, history and a great potential to be converted into a collective working space. However, it was not at the first attempt that it was possible to transform the space into to everyone's dream. The project persisted and was born as the unique space that presents itself as todays NOW_ Beato in Lisbon. Side by side with the Creative Hub of Beato, NOW_Beato is an active part of the renovation of this Parish.
As we enter the building, a former three-story warehouse dating from 1904, built to be a wine warehouse, we now see a rehabilitated space transformed into a contemporary, comfortable and sunny coworking.
At NOW_Beato the work spaces are not predefined, but are adapted to the needs of the people who will work there. The diversity of designs reflects the living organization of the space. Every feature has been thought out in detail in a co-creation process between the NOW_Beato team members and the coworkers themselves.
There are about 26 businesses and 80 people, from startups, freelancers and companies. Projects aiming to integrate people with mental illness through the creation of an atelier and art gallery where patients are welcomed in an artistic residency format (O Manicómio), projects such as an incubator for business ideas(Demium Startups), publisher of entrepreneurial guides (Startup Guide), creative collaboration (Imatch), social network managers (Social it), photography, architecture, music (Match Attack), artificial gardens (Wonder wall), eatory (Delibar), among others.
It is impossible not to be impressed by the care invested in customizing the space, reflecting the personality and business of every startup, freelancer and company.
Floors 1 and 2 receive projects from coworkers and are organized into work areas. We found open-space desk islands, and work areas enclosed by bookshelves and shelves that also create store spaces. There are also individual cabinets delimited by glass walls, creating a more private team space while integrated and in contact with other spaces.
There are areas for various occasions: meetings or gatherings with larger groups, meetings for 2 or 3 people, a training room and spaces for relaxing and playing.
Spaces With Intention
Noting has been left to chance. All the details assume an intention to make change happen by involving a strong sense of social and environmental awareness.
With a contagious sense of humor, the Give a Shit Now intervention an environmental sustainability project has been linked to the use of bathrooms, bringing everyone together in a collective act of environmental responsibility.
Reinforcing one of the core values of Now_Beato, where each individual is seen as a unique human being, we discover one more detail about the history of the tables: they were executed by unemployed people from the Parish of Marvila, as part of a carpentry workshop developed by NOW_, integrated in the BiZip Program.
Areas to Relax
For those looking for different ways to relax during the day, climb up the winding staircase to access the mezzanine with a green space, beanbags and a window with a view over the river, ideal for a break.
Relaxing may also be on the move and for that you just need to choose the best scenario to ride a static bike, one in the balcony and another in the living area.
For those who can’t resist a game of pingpong, you just need to challenge a colleague for a match.
On floor 0 there is a wide and multifaceted space for events. Now_Gate67 has over 600 square meters, that hosts all types of external events from conferences to concerts.
This space maintains the original walls of the building, where it’s possible to see traces of fossilized living beings.
Sounds of the Space
“This space always has to be adapted to the needs of the people who come here. They transform it…they are part of the space and also feel comfortable because of that.” Filipa Baptista
“Here things are different, each coworker has an identity, freedom to say what they think, to suggest new things...all collaborating with the space. Here there are no predefined spaces, it’s like a constantly changing being, and we prefer to be here because of that.”
Léo Capelossi
