With a focus on accessibility and sustainability, space is the result of a mix of a smart and collaborative work environment strategy adopted by Microsoft in offices around the world and elements of Brazilian culture
Microsoft Brazil recently opened its new office in São Paulo. Located in Vila Olímpia, in the São Paulo Corporate Towers complex, Microsoft's new headquarters in the country mirrors the smart work environment strategy adopted by the company in offices around the world, associating it with elements that refer to Brazil. The space was planned with a focus on accessibility and sustainability.
"Microsoft has been going through a profound cultural transformation and now we will have an office in Brazil that reflects this change, with a modern and cozy space, which will further stimulate collaboration and innovation among our employees and also with customers and partners," says Tânia Cosentino, president of Microsoft Brazil. “We have been present in Brazil for 30 years and the investment in this new office reinforces our long-term commitment to the country”, says the executive.
With Diversity and Inclusion as a priority and a pillar of its culture, Microsoft has been very concerned with accessibility since the inception of the new office project. The space was created to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities, whether physical, vision or hearing. The goal is for everyone to be able to comfortably and alone access all the premises of the place. This is the first Microsoft office in Latin America to feature all of the company's globally driven accessibility features.
The receptions work on two levels of height, the doors are automatic and wide, all workstations offer height adjustment, carpets and appropriate floors to facilitate movement, in addition to signage in Braille. Bathrooms were also designed with a focus on accessibility and gender inclusion.
As part of the smart work environment concept, the office does not have fixed workstations for each employee and has several alternative working environments, including open spaces. All these aspects were designed to encourage collaboration and productivity, based on the idea that together employees can work better and learn more, with a positive impact for customers and partners. “This is a space that mirrors Microsoft's vision of the modern work environment, adding to the resources that technology is capable of offering”, says Cosentino.
Brazil and sustainability influence the decor
Of the three floors occupied in the building, one will house the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), a space used to demonstrate innovations, receive customers and partners. Microsoft's new office will also have an Education Room and a space aimed at fostering startups through the BR Startups Fund.
Planned by a local architecture and design company, the new Microsoft office brings together Brazilian elements in several spaces. There are colors, textures and design pieces that refer to the country's flora and fauna, tourist spots, ceilings that simulate the movement of water and colored sand panels typical of Brazil.
Prioritizing the well-being of employees, the office also has spaces with natural light and views of external landscapes. In addition, there are special rooms dedicated to moments of decompression and creativity, as well as a beauty room for manicures and other services. Mother's Room is a space reserved for breastfeeding mothers, equipped with armchairs and equipment for the collection and storage of milk, including refrigerators.
The building that houses Microsoft's new headquarters is LEED Platinum certified, meaning it meets the highest sustainability requirements for buildings, according to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The structure also has changing rooms and bicycle racks to encourage the use of bicycles as a means of transport to work. Microsoft will also have its own program for employees to rent electric bicycles.
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