Schneider Electric is a great example of this new market mindset.
In an interview with REsource, Patrícia Cavalcanti, Vice President of Digital Energy and Power Products for South America, shared insights into how the company approached the creation of its new office:

“The office cannot be generic; it needs to have the company’s personality. When an employee walks in, they should feel they’re inside our brand.”

Cavalcanti explains the main criteria considered when selecting the corporate space:

“When we started looking for a new office, one of the top priorities was finding a location with LEED certification. We wanted a building that was already recognized for sustainability — that was non-negotiable.”

“We believe a more sustainable world will be driven by electrification, automation, and efficiency. But there’s no point in advocating sustainability if it doesn’t start at home.”

She also highlighted how employee experience played a key role in reinforcing brand values and ensuring coherence between purpose and practice:

“Location also matters a lot: it must be accessible to everyone, with nearby public transportation — that’s part of our inclusion strategy.”

“Our new office reflects our new way of working. Today, we operate in a hybrid model. People come to the office to interact, discuss, and collaborate. The space was designed to foster that interaction and make the environment more inspiring.”

“The combination of good lighting, proper temperature, and air quality directly impacts well-being and productivity. A pleasant space becomes part of the company’s identity,” she concluded.

To better understand the legal aspects involved in building a corporate brand, REsource consulted the INPI, the government agency responsible for registering and protecting intellectual property and exclusive rights to commercial brands and creations.

“Not every element that composes a corporate space can be registered as a trademark. In Brazil, only visually perceptible signs may be registered, in the form of word marks, figurative marks, mixed marks (combining names and images), three-dimensional marks, and position marks.”

“These formats can be applied within the environment — such as on signage, plaques, or visual elements — but the façade or the space as a whole cannot be considered a trademark for protection purposes,” explains Borges.

While this trend of brand-personalized environments continues to grow, Borges points out that many companies still lack awareness about the importance of protecting their intangible assets:

“Many businesses misunderstand the scope of each protection type and end up filing inadequate registrations, which weakens their brand’s legal security.
It’s essential to understand that these assets — the name, logo, design, and visual identity — are core components of a company’s value and should be managed with the same care as physical assets.”

INPI offers three main types of protection:

• Industrial Design, which protects ornamental forms and patterns of lines and colors applied to products (e.g., tables, chairs, lamps);

• Three-Dimensional Marks, which protect distinctive product or service shapes (like Crocs shoes, Yakult bottles, or the Michelin Man); and

• Word, Figurative, and Mixed Marks, which cover signage, plaques, and other visual identifiers within the environment.

“Currently, protection does not extend to architecture or layout itself. However, INPI is considering expanding the scope of industrial designs to include architectural projects — similar to Japan’s model, which already recognizes integrated building and interior design.
It’s still an early discussion, but it signals a future where design will be more broadly valued as a brand asset.”

Finally, from the perspective of those who build these spaces, Luiz Henrique Ceotto, civil engineer at Urbic, discussed how project approaches have evolved in recent years:

“Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen major investments in façades, transparency, natural light, and wide-open spans. These factors improve quality of life, reduce artificial lighting use, and strengthen a company’s brand positioning through its environment.”

“Equally important is focusing on the human experience — comfort inside the office, with high ceilings, proper temperature, and humidity. These aspects boost productivity and contribute to a more humanized work experience.”

And what can we expect from the future?

“The office of the future will always be a mix — functional and symbolic. It will depend on each company’s philosophy but must allow internal transformation of the space without making the property obsolete,” concludes Ceotto.