Natixis in Portugal makes it possible to travel the world without leaving the office
14 Oct 2022
Porto-based company inaugurates innovative workspace concept.
The new office will allow employees to travel across 4 continents and 12 cities. The concept created by Natixis in Portugal promotes sharing, creativity, innovation, agility and collaboration.
The Villages occupy two floors and a total of more than 3,800 m2 of the company's headquarters in Porto, with a capacity for around 200 employees.
Tétris, JLL's design and construction company, was responsible for the development and execution of this project.
Natixis in Portugal developed an innovative concept of office space that will transform the experience of the hybrid working model, enhancing sharing, creativity, innovation, agility and collaboration. The Villages - as this project is called - occupy two floors of the company's headquarters in Porto and recreate 12 cities, taking advantage of the latest technology to create an immersive experience - which includes sounds and smells - and which affirms this space as a pioneering example of the offices of the future.
"We realised that most Natixis employees in Portugal came to the office for moments of collaboration with their teams and for moments of socialising. We believe that, in a new era of work, the hybrid model is the one with the greatest capacity to create value for people and organisations. It was on this assumption that this project was developed", says Etienne Huret, general manager of Natixis in Portugal.
"Natixis' culture is strongly based on the proximity between people and on interaction, networking, collaboration and moments of socialization. In this scenario, the concept of the Villages fulfilled our vision of giving a true collaborative purpose and a unique experience to the days spent in the office by our teams. The Villages represent an absolutely innovative concept and celebrate our diversity, confirming our commitment to expand the project in Porto", adds the manager.
This Centre of Excellence based in Porto develops innovative solutions for Groupe BPCE's business, operations and work culture worldwide. This project is therefore a reflection of the principles of diversity and inclusion that Natixis has been consolidating in its offices, where it currently has nearly 2,000 employees of 30 nationalities, who work daily with teams from all over the world.
From now on, Natixis employees in Portugal will be able to travel to the cities of Manaus, Santiago, Dakar, Paris, Porto, Muscat, Mexico City, Shanghai, Tokyo, London, Bangalore and Brooklyn. The concept occupies two floors and a total of more than 3,800 m2, with a capacity of nearly 200 people. The Villages were created by Natixis in Portugal with the support of Tétris, JLL's architecture and construction company in Portugal. The project lasted two years, from conception to completion.
"At a time when the end of offices was being questioned due to the widespread teleworking during the pandemic, Natixis anticipated and understood that the future involved transforming the collective workspace rather than doing away with it. Before the pandemic, offices were mainly spaces of convenience. Nowadays, we are moving towards making them spaces of experience. The Villages are proof that innovative concepts, immersive and focused on the well-being of employees are fundamental to the success of companies," says Carlos Cardoso, Managing Director of Tétris.
He explains, "Tétris' design principle was to create an innovative space as a tool to share knowledge and culture, where inclusion and diversity are assumed as fundamental values."
Each space was built, decorated and personalised taking into account the particularities that make each of these destinations attractive to visitors, combining the sounds, smells and architectural elements that characterise them.
For example, in the village of Porto, employees are welcomed by the aroma of port wine and are encouraged to work as a team in a space that resembles a traditional winery. In Muscat, they can sit on a soft dune while enjoying a local tea. In Manaus, they can feel the density of the forest and listen to the sounds of the animals. In Paris, it will be possible to watch a live transmission of a landscape or the sky of the French capital.
Technology at the service of agility and efficiency
All the rooms in the Villages are equipped with technology that helps optimise collaborative work and contributes to more agile and efficient work. Each village is divided into three main zones: Workstations (individual work spaces); Meeting Rooms (open and closed spaces for collaborative activities that require visual and acoustic privacy); and Cowork (places for collaborative tasks and informal meetings, soundproofed cabins, quiet zones, bookshop, dining area or a lounge area). All these points are equipped with the best technological tools, so that employees can work with their teams and with other Natixis colleagues around the world.
Choice of materials followed high sustainability standards
The materials used respond to the Groupe BPCE principles of circular economy and sustainability, while also following the principles of the Tétris Sustainability Code: Materials, Furniture, Air, Lighting, Water, Comfort, Nature, Innovation and Construction Management. Decoration materials were selected from local theme shops; furniture used in a non-profit association was acquired; the floors are carbon neutral; the air conditioning is visible for easy maintenance and air quality control; priority was given to certified and recycled materials; and the lighting is low consumption (LED).
The Villages have 50 ambassadors, employees who are responsible for presenting the concept to their colleagues and providing feedback to the space management team, to ensure a dynamic of continuous improvement. To ensure a coordinated use of the Villages, the Office Experience Manager position was created, which will be performed by Elodie Couto, responsible for the efficient, sustainable and creative planning and management of these spaces.
The goal is for each employee to enjoy the Villages at least once a month, so that, at the end of each year, he or she will have been able to experience a working day in each of the 12 cities.
