Ageas Group opens new headquarters in rehabilitated area of Porto
The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, inaugurated the new headquarters of the Ageas Group in Porto, designed by architect Luís Pedro Silva. Created from scratch to house the institution, the new building, located at Francos junction, between VCI and Avenida AEP, in Ramalde, is based on modern transparency and sustainability. Rui Moreira even compared it to the "Flatiron Building", an iconic building in New York.
"When you join entrepreneurship, architecture and vision of the future, we can only be pleased with what we see," said Rui Moreira, leaving a compliment to architect Luís Pedro Silva, "representative of the Porto school of architecture", and the entire team of Urbanism of the municipality, led by councillor Pedro Baganha (also present at the ceremony, as well as the councillor for Health and Quality, Catarina Araújo): "it does not complicate and helps those who want to invest in the city".
"This is an iconic building, in a totally rehabilitated area. We want and do everything we can to have a more comfortable and interesting city", she added.
Icon Douro, as the Ageas Group headquarters building in Porto is called, occupies an area of 7,600 m2, with five floors, all of them in "open space". "Porto is very important for the group", assumed Steven Braekekeveldt, CEO of the Ageas Portugal Group, leaving a guarantee: "We want to continue to invest here".
For Artur Varum, president of Civilria, the company constructing the building adapted to current and future work circumstances, the purpose is the same: "We want to construct more and more sustainable buildings. In the case of Porto, we want to continue helping to make a good city".
Promoting innovation and inclusion
The project includes two more buildings, one for offices and one for rental flats. The entire Icon space includes a garden, squares, support services and public spaces.
Created from scratch, the new building allows all the institution's employees to work in a flexible and collaborative way. With an investment of around 30 million euros, the building mirrors, according to the group's CEO, "our values - Care, Dare, Share and Deliver - and promotes both creativity and innovation, but also inclusion".
In line with this vision, the restaurant area of the new space, which includes a cafeteria, restaurant, self-service area and terrace accessible to all, will be operated by SAOM - Serviços de Assistência Organizações de Maria - a charity founded in 1976, a reference in social inclusion in the food sector.
The inauguration also included elements of the circus arts school Chapitô, which welcomed all guests with great animation, and also with guest musicians.
