Along the banks of the Pinheiros River in São Paulo, the River One building hosted the Tendências para Escritórios 2024 event, promoted by RBR Asset in partnership with SPOT. The gathering brought together key figures from the market for a discussion on market trends, the future of offices, technology, and prospects for the coming years.

Moderated by SiiLA's CEO, Giancarlo Nicastro, the panelists included Renato Fusaro, Director of Real Estate and Facilities LATAM at Cargill; Fernando Gorguet, Global Sales at DESKBEE; Andrea Cerqueira, Commercial Director at SpacePLAN; José Luiz Lopes, Director at IMMENSE; and Caio Castro, Partner at RBR Asset Management.

The diversity of expertise among the participants enriched the conversation, starting with Fusaro discussing how offices have evolved over time. He classified physical offices as "optional" but emphasized that in-person interaction is essential for communication.

"When I started working, the rules were very clear; I dressed up, shaved, put on a tie, and went to the office every day on Paulista avenue. This gradually changed; the beard was left behind, the tie too, and the moment to be in the office became, let's say, optional; technology allows us to work from anywhere. But, Aristotle said, 'man is a social animal,' so there are many things that we still inherit, it's anthropological. So, going to the office is about socializing, communicating," he shared.

The transformation mentioned by Fusaro aligns with the work scope of DESKBEE, represented by Fernando Gorguet. The company operates with office space management software, where employees don't have fixed workstations, and there is rotation in seating and rooms—a technology promising to be the future of hybrid work.

"We launched the platform at the end of 2019 and, during the pandemic's flexibility, we worked strongly on the safe return to offices, but technology evolves, and people want more; we are transforming the platform not only for managers but also for HR, finance, owners, etc.," he explained.

In another part of the discussion, Andrea Cerqueira from SpacePLAN and José Luiz Lopes from IMMENSE talked about how planning and furniture are crucial in building a welcoming work environment.

"I noticed that going to the office has a purpose; if I go to the office, I'm going to a meeting and working as a team. When I go to the home office, I need to work more quietly. This is the dynamic that needs to be done, adapting spaces to each need," shared Cerqueira.

For Lopes, the transformation lies in changing how products are consumed within offices, how furniture is used, and the purpose of each piece in the space. He emphasized the change within the workplace; the open concept created the need for acoustically isolated sound booths.

"Acoustics inside phone booths are essential; in open spaces, acoustics need to be considered, and there's also the issue of biophilia, bringing natural elements into offices, which is also very important," highlighted the Director of IMMENSE.

Giancarlo Nicastro asked Caio Castro that, in 2019, journalists approached him questioning the lack of offices. During the pandemic, the situation reversed; there were too many offices. He asked Castro if it's time for new investments and where São Paulo will expand.

"The real estate market is cyclical and long-term. Looking at the data and studying the market, we can have good prospects. To be more specific, we believe a lot in Pinheiros, as an overflow from Faria Lima. The subway is essential in this story; infrastructure is important, there's no point in the office being magical if the employee takes two and a half hours to get to work," shared the Partner at RBR Asset Management.