The new Lisbon headquarters for insurance giant Ageas embraces the evolving needs of the modern workplace with a range of flexible workspaces and vibrant common areas that foster community and encourage colleague interaction.

The 14,000sqm office, which has also become the template for its forthcoming new office in Porto where Broadway Malyan is providing interior design services, has no single function spaces and instead has a series of private, semi-private and common spaces that can be adapted to the changing needs of the users.

Taking its lead from an approach more recognisable in the hospitality or high-end residential sector, the entrance to the new headquarters is through a double height lobby that has a series of comfortable nooks, lounges and meeting rooms for people to work, meet and interact.

The ground floor is also home to Ageas Spaces, a series of meeting rooms that become an auditorium for 100 people, an Academy for students and a brand area that showcases the company’s history while also being an interactive lounge and foyer for the auditorium.

The blurred approach is also prevalent in the second-floor restaurant, coffee shop and buffet area, which has been designed not just for eating but also meeting and working, evolving the traditional canteen space to something more welcoming and interesting with a large communal table that acts as a centrepoint to the space, encouraging colleagues share their time and ideas.

This restaurant space also links to a 470sqm outdoor terrace that features a series of private meeting booths as well as a range of communal seating, providing space for work events while offering fantastic views across the city.

Stuart Rough, Broadway Malyan’s global workplace lead, added: “The pandemic has changed how and where people want to work and companies are working harder to create the very best environments – in short, the modern workplace is all about putting people first.

“This project is a fantastic example of a new kind of workplace where the wellbeing of the end user is front and centre of the design process and the unexpected is the new normal.”