Avenida Infante Santo, 69 a-c,
1350-177 Lisboa, Portugal
+351 213 939 340
geral@msa.com.pt
The word comfort by its definition, encompasses a set of terms that I will use to initiate this written conversation. Comfort can be a place and not just a purpose. A place is not necessarily a site; it can be a person, something that evokes a sense of extreme comfort, both physically and especially emotionally. It implies closeness and, very importantly, refers to the well-being and comfort provided to someone.
This collection of words arranged around this concept, suggesting a comfort greater than the simple designation it encompasses, reminded me of the architect Raul Lino (1879-1974), and of a phrase I read in one of his books, which has never ceased to populate my thoughts when I look at architecture:
"A house is much more than four walls, it is what gives cosiness to our lives."
He also stated that art and architecture are also a product of man for man, with history and genealogy, with characteristics and functionalities of space and time, and of the community they serve and for which they were produced. He was a defender of tradition in contrast to modernism, but possibly a modernist of tradition.
Architecture, regardless of its time in history, maintains some of these premises intact, but it must also dare to free itself from the connotation that it must be timeless and build to last. Architecture has multiple scales: that of the city, the neighbourhood, the building, and a specific space within the building - its interior, the one that is lived and experienced closely by people. Yes, architecture, if it had a beginning and an end - not to be confused with its function - would end on the smaller scale, starting in the macro and ending in the micro.
It's an office, stupid.
Designing workspaces entails a set of challenges and responsibilities, due to their specificity, but essentially due to what they can do for the company and its employees.
Workspaces have never been so decisive for a sense of belonging, and for attracting and retaining talent as they are today - increasingly important predicates for the success of companies and for the future they want to build. It is essential that each project is unique and unrepeatable, as is the corporate culture of organizations and their people.
Comfort, flexibility and identity are pressing demands for architects who design workspaces. These must be rigorous, pay attention to detail, design elegant, positive spaces that can captivate all those who inhabit them.
The design and paradigm of workspaces have changed radically in the post-pandemic era: hybrid models have been experimented with, solutions have been sought to bring people back to the office, without fear and full of optimism. However, for this to happen, offices increasingly need conceptual and cultural adaptations that respond to the challenges of companies. They should be spaces that offer multiple possibilities, that are versatile, adaptable, but no less important, they should be comfortable, humanized, sustainable, and obviously, well-designed - a cause and at the same time an effect.
It is these unique places that translate the identity of companies, their values and business culture, their brand and mission. The workspace should be a tool for collaboration and bringing people together, providing a differentiating, memorable experience that is not repeated anywhere else. Ultimately, a comfortable place with extraordinary conditions where each employee feels like a "guest".
Our experience tells us that the best professionals with high satisfaction rates are the real drivers of productivity and business success. Offices should therefore bring feelings of belonging, promote experiences and enhance interrelationships between all employees, and at the end of the day, more happiness.
An office is not simply a set of tables and chairs scattered around, nor is it a distribution of individualized or team workspaces, nor is it a place to perform tasks, with better or worse location, or better or worse natural light. An office should be a place for people, motivator, that enhances creativity, personal development and their careers.
On the other hand, it can also be a stimulating, disruptive place that provokes emotions and is sensory, truly inspiring, that has a heart and not just reason; the spaces must have an intemporal purpose, designed in a flexible and adjustable way, they must respond effectively throughout the period of its use, making a decisive contribution to the future, leaving good memories in those who inhabit it. Yes, offices, like houses, are inhabited, and like a perfect home, it is a place with an ability, perhaps unexpected, to provide comfort.
S+A Offices around the world
Avenida Infante Santo, 69 a-c,
1350-177 Lisboa, Portugal
+351 213 939 340
geral@msa.com.pt
Rua 31 de Janeiro, 12E, 6º Y,
9050-011 Funchal, Portugal
+351 291 215 090
funchal@msa.com.pt
Rue Beni Hendel Nº03 (ex Vaucluse), Résidence Albert 1er,
Bureau Nº 34, 1er étage, Hai Oussama,
Oran 31000, Algérie
+213 412 48 139
algerie@msa.com.pt
Rua Helena 275, 7º Andar CJ 73,
Vila Olímpia, São Paulo / SP
CEP 04552 050, Brasil
+55 11 3842 7279
br@msa.com.pt
Carrera 13 nº94A-44,
Oficina 406 Bogotá, Colombia
+ 57 (1) 745 79 68/9
colombia@msa.com.pt
18 Dostyq street, Moscow Business Center
11th Floor, Office 36.2,
010000 Astana, Kazakhstan
+7 7172 72 95 96
+7 701 910 06 31
kazakhstan@msa.com.pt
133 Cecil Street, Nº16-01 Keck Seng Tower,
Singapore 069535
+65 987 279 82
sg@msa.com.pt
Avenue d'Ouchy 66,
1006 Lausanne, Suisse
swiss@msa.com.pt
2/F, 8 Duong so 66, The Sun Thao Dien,
District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
+84 28 3620 2481
vn@msa.com.pt
475 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey,
CA 90292, United States of America
+1 310 439 3757
us@msa.com.pt