Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), a leading global real estate services consultancy firm, announces that it has represented Kantar, a British multinational and the world’s leading marketing insight and analytics firms, in the lease of its new technology hub in Matosinhos. C&W was also responsible for project management and on-site security services for the development, while the architectural design was created the British atelier TPBennett and the rehabilitation and fit-out of the building was provided by Garcia & Garcia, a local developer.
The new hub is located in Praça Guilherme Pinto, in the center of Matosinhos Sul and results from the rehabilitation of the old building, where the original design of the facade and the industrial lines that are characteristic of this area were maintained. The sustainability aspect was one of the drivers of the project, which includes the strong commitment to renewable energies, the installation of modern and efficient air conditioning systems, photovoltaic panels, and 48 charging stations for electric vehicles. Due to these characteristics, the building is a candidate for the BREEAM In Use certification.
The recently opened space, which will accommodate at least 300 Kantar employees, was designed to encourage creativity, innovation, and collaboration. For this, the project was developed with a focus on the maximum comfort of its users, with different facilities installed such as a room to store surfboards, screens with the cutting-edge technology, a multifaith room and a rest and relaxation room. In addition, diversity and inclusion was also one of the main pillars of this project, and as an example there are gender neutral bathrooms in the facilities.
According to Mário Jacob, Head of Business Space at Cushman & Wakefield in Porto: “This transaction was extremely motivating because we had the challenge to find a new space in a pressure scenario, and at the end we provided an high quality service. We were able to identify a property that met the demanding characteristics requested by Kantar and met the agreed deadlines. The result was a fantastic office space whose lease was one of the four largest in Porto in 2022. In this operation we act on behalf of Kantar and one of the key factors for success was the excellent connection between the Porto office and the GOS (Global Occupier Services) department of Cushman & Wakefield in Portugal represented by Francisco Vasconcellos, Associate in the Office Agency team, who ensured a clear and smooth communication between the various parties.”
According to Bruno Martins dos Reis, from the Project Management team at Cushman & Wakefield Portugal, “ the main challenge of the project was to transform a building prepared to receive a stand or a car garage into an office building suited to the current reality of the company, with special attention to multiple factors such as sustainability, branding and collaborative and social spaces", adding that, "an extraordinarily detailed project was completed in a record time, which received and accommodated the changes inherent to the development of a building that will serve as a reference for the company's other projects in the rest of the world”.
