Former mall in Porto's city centre becomes brand-new business hub
With seven office units and nine retail/service spaces, Heart of Porto will have the capacity for two thousand people
Former shopping centre La Vie, located in Porto's city centre, has a new name: Heart of Porto (HOP). More importantly, it also has a new purpose: a business hub capable of accomodating two thousand people. The project's developers, French asset manager Tikehau Capital and the Portuguese-Spanish company Quest Capital, estimate that the 70 million euro project will be completed in the second half of 2026.
Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, together with the Councillor for Urbanism and Public Space, Pedro Baganha, recently visited the site and witnessed the laying of the project's foundation stone. The Mayor highlighted that it was not up to the Municipality to "complicate things”, but rather to regulate and facilitate. "What we have to do is make life easier for all the people who work with us,” he added.
As a result of Porto's increasing attractiveness, the last several years have seen an increasing demand for quality offices in the city centre. In this regard, the Mayor underlined InvestPorto's role as the Municipality's official investment promotion agency in bringing new investors to the city. "We want them to be very successful. A city must always look carefully at its inhabitants and investors. It doesn't live on inhabitants and tourists alone, it needs this [business and investment] component,” said Rui Moreira.
The CEO of Quest Capital, Carlos Vasconcellos, also praised the Municipality's services, namely its Urban Planning. "What has happened over the last 12 years is absolutely remarkable. This is due to a unique vision for the city,” he said, stressing: ”I just wish we could have, in the country overall, the understanding and way of working that we have felt with the Porto City Council.”
The 70 million euro investment (including acquisition, refurbishment, and marketing costs) will create a business hub with seven office units, nine retail/service spaces, and around 2,000 square metres of private outdoor space.
Amenities include a cafeteria, a supermarket, a gym, and a rooftop bar with views over the city. The building, with nine floors, four of which are underground, will also have an auditorium with a capacity for 110 seats and multipurpose rooms that can accommodate 90 people. The project also includes 90 parking spaces for bicycles and 42 charging points for electric vehicles, with a view to encouraging sustainable mobility and reducing the carbon footprint.
