NQDA office
Founded in 2009 by four university colleagues in Viana do Castelo, NQDA is today a Digital Agency specialized in communication, design and development. The project born from the desire to create opportunities to stay in a city that combines river, mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.
Office file
Location: Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Total area: 223 m2
People: 14(Q4 2018)
Industry: Development & Design
Culture
At NQDA we have a culture which embrace the growing and change. We value very much the transparency, free speech and learning, and these values affect how everyone works. The environment is quite informal, but don’t judge us by our Spotify playlist because when it come to work everyone gives their best, and we don’t say no to a challenge.
The Office
NQDA office is a spacious place in Viana do Castelo on the ground floor of a historical building, located in one of the oldest and busiest streets of the city.
The office is structured in such a way as to maximize the entry and diffusion of light into space and the creation of a comfortable and welcoming space for team and clients. Pine, translucent polycarbonate and iron draw furniture, kitchen, partitions and lighting. The various workspaces can change with the rotation and the opening of the partitions that draw the space.
There is an individual office, two compartments for video calls, a common workspace and a kitchen with dining room that quickly transforms to allow the assembly of an auditorium for events.
With the designers’ work space facing the street and the glass meeting room, the space allows guests visiting the office to contact the work team directly from the moment they approach the door of the NQDA.
The concept was created by our friend and client, Joana Carvalho Arquitectura.
Work Area
Currently with enough space for 16 people, this area is open, spacious and connected to all other areas of the office: meeting rooms and kitchen.
Teams from the different projects are organized by distinct groups in the office. Glass and translucent polycarbonate is used to separate and isolate sound, but still allowing everyone to see each other. Each team work closely to bring the most value to the client.
Kitchen
At NQDA the kitchen is one of the most important places at office. There is free food available like bread, fresh fruit, coffee, beer and wine offered by our clients.
Right next the kitchen there is a dinning table in which every monday we take breakfast together and discuss the week planning. This place is also used for lunch, informal meetings and to grab some snacks.
From time to time this place converts in a auditorium, dinning table is removed, kitchen doors are closed and a big flat wall become a projection screen. We usually host some events of Viana Tech Meetups, a tech community based in Viana do Castelo, which aims to bring knowledge, sharing ideas and spread the word about tech and design stuff, don’t forget to follow and be the first join next session.
Meeting rooms
The meeting room closer to the entrance is mostly used for team meetings, design sprints, Mentoring-Learn-Grow or work sessions, while the meeting room closer to the kitchen is used for meetings with clients, and group Skype calls.
We also have two Skype’s rooms, actually one, because at the moment one became the printers place. This smalls rooms are really great to a quick Skype calls with clients/stakeholders.
Entrance
This is a perfect space to receive our guests and where they can read local newspaper while waiting, or see what we’re reading.
Viana do Castelo it’s a small city and almost flat on the city center, so don’t be surprised if you share the space with 2–3 bikes.
Plans
