Avila Work City: the new and pioneering concept of workspaces

Avila Spaces opens, in October, a new coworking concept in Lisbon at Atrium Saldanha which aims to offer an integrated set of services in a single space: there are technology stores, stationery stores, bookstores, clothing stores and a restaurant space

It´s a new concept of workspaces in Lisbon, at the Atrium Saldanha shopping centre. For the first time in Portugal, a work city will be created, a real 'miniature city' - the Avila Work City.

The 'work city' concept already has some international success stories in countries like the US and the UK. One of the pioneering projects was Cendyn Spaces in Boca Raton (Florida, USA) and one of the most recent success stories is Bespoke, which set up a coworking space at the Westfield San Francisco Centre (San Francisco, USA).

This is an international trend that was reinforced in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the need for re-invention of commercial spaces, but also of office centres and cowork spaces, which are dealing with new consumer habits and the need to give new dynamics to their businesses.

On one hand, commercial spaces find a new way to monetize areas that may have been left vacant by the closing of stores and galleries; on the other hand, the integration of a cowork in these areas allows an added value to customers, who now have access to more options for leisure time or take breaks. It will also be a way for shopping centres to gain new life and customers to spend a consecutive number of hours in these spaces. This was the idea behind the creation of the Avila Work City.

"Avila is the most awarded workspace in Portugal and now it will inaugurate a pioneer and innovative concept in Portugal that will mark a new era and raise the bar in the market", guarantees Carlos Gonçalves, CEO of Avila Spaces.

In the new Avila Work City, which is on the second floor of the Atrium Saldanha, in an open space overlooking the Duque de Saldanha Square and Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo, with 640 square meters. Here, the winning Avila Spaces concept will be recreated, with a lounge area, individual and collaborative work zones, meeting rooms, booths for phone calls, pantry and a novelty: a presentation zone, with an amphitheatre prepared for business events or product launching.

According to Carlos Gonçalves, Avila Work City is a space "where we can work and have access to a set of services, such as laundry and gyms, and other stores, like stationery stores, and bookstore, where it is possible to buy day-to-day products. We have here a miniature city, where it is possible to be in an office environment, but with direct access to stores, restaurants, and leisure areas, in a kind of '360 degree life'", says Carlos Gonçalves, CEO of Avila Spaces.

Until October, Avila will be promoting a special campaign for new customers who want to be the first to experience this new concept of coworking in Portugal: the status of founding member of the new Avila Work City Founder's Club will give access to exclusive advantages in this new space, which will be known soon. One of the advantages will be to have access to a card that will give access to discounts and special campaigns in the stores and services of the Atrium Saldanha.

"In the DNA of the Atrium Saldanha has always been the offer of exclusive concepts to our customers and visitors: we have always had offices of large companies in our building and this is further proof that we have our eyes on the future and the development of new offerings related to disruptive workspaces, this time with Avila Work City. After almost two years of some difficulties for all commercial spaces, this is the opportunity to relaunch the dynamics that we were used to and give new blood to one of the most exclusive commercial galleries in Lisbon", says Eugénia Martins, Commercial Director of the Atrium Saldanha.