Subvisual’s Braga, Portugal, office created bright, naturally lit spaces for collaboration, community building, and a healthy mix of work and play.
When it came time to redesign Subvisual’s Braga, Portugal offices, there was only one tack to take. After all, this company only came into existence because several friends cared enough about each other — and good web design and development — to make it happen. That’s why this space is characterized by ample room for collaboration centered around good ideas and a good film, creativity and a killer game of ping-pong, business meetings and Mario Kart.
What is the address of the project?
Subvisual, a Web Design and Development company in Braga, Portugal.
Who was the building architect and the interior architect/designer?
Dark
When was the project completed?
August 2016
What is the total square footage?
A little more than 3,230 square feet
What is the square footage per person?
About 270 square feet per person
How many total employees are there and what’s the daily population?
There are 12 employees, and we regularly have some client teams working with us in the office, so the daily population is around 16.
What is the location’s proximity to public transportation and other amenities?
It’s a three-minute walk to public-transportation options and some shops and dining establishments.
What were the construction/hard costs per square foot?
40€ per square foot
Is there a mobile work or work-from-home policy or are most of the employees there all day every day?
Everyone can work from home at any time, and most people do that at least once a week.
What percentage of the space is unassigned?
70 percent
How is the company’s brand reflected in the space?
We have our logo on the wall, and we organize two conferences — RubyConf Portugal and Mirror Conf — so we use some of the decoration material used during the conferences to decorate the office.
What is the most unique feature about the new space?
The natural light and the amazing view of the city.
If the company moved out of a previous space, what was the hardest aspect of change for people?
Previously, there was more white space — space to think, read and work with the team.
Please share any illuminating, surprising, or hoped-for results you might have gleaned from post-occupancy surveys.
Staff have enjoyed collaborating more and organizing more community events. They’ve also enjoyed lesser amounts of noise.
Please talk about any other notable aspects of the project that make it unique.
We wanted the office to reflect our culture, which was born out of friendship between a group of very ambitious and talented people. That friendship shaped our team culture, and it’s still a part of who we are today. That’s why we have a space where we can have meals together, share knowledge during our Friday Talks, or just play ping-pong, FIFA, Mario Kart or chess to relax. Teamwork is also essential, and that’s why we created two spaces where the team can work and brainstorm together, with the help of a large whiteboard that runs across the walls. And finally, we know how important it is to have moments of focus and with that in mind, we also created some spaces to read or work on a standing desk with a privileged view of the city.
An attractive article written by Emily Bratcher.