Forvis Mazars Porto Offices by GRAU.ZERO Architecture is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.
BronzeInterior· 2026
Forvis Mazars Porto Offices
Client: GRAU.ZERO Architecture
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #181937The Design
About Forvis Mazars Porto Offices
Forvis Mazars is an office interior located on a single floor of the Icon Douro building in Porto, Portugal. The workspace covers about 700 square meters and includes individual workstations, phone booths, collaborative areas, meeting rooms, a reception and support spaces. The layout supports a fully flexible working model based on clean desk and anywhere office practices. Handcrafted textured plaster and natural stone are combined with veneer wood panels and light reflecting surfaces. Recycled materials and a neutral color palette create a calm and timeless setting.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Forvis Mazars Porto Offices is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Forvis Mazars Porto Offices is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Forvis Mazars Porto Offices splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- For Forvis Mazars' new offices in Porto, our aim was to make the company’s core values the guiding thread of the physical space, reflecting its identity, positioning, and ambition.
To avoid the conventional appearance of a workspace and create a timeless spatial identity, we embraced a concept based on full flexibility, in line with the company's existing clean desk and anywhere office practices. The result is a rich yet calm sensory environment that evokes emotion and encourages focus. - Dimensions & Packaging
- The project spans approximately 700 square meters, located on a single floor within the Icon Douro building in Porto, Portugal. The spatial programme comprises individual workstations, phone booths, collaborative areas, meeting rooms, a reception and support spaces. All designed to support a fully flexible working model based on clean desk and anywhere office practices.
- Tags
- Office Interior, Workplace Architecture, Portuguese Architecture, Porto
- Production Technology
- The project is characterised by a layered material strategy, juxtaposing handcrafted textured plaster and natural stone with veneer wood panels, and light-reflecting surfaces. The use of recycled materials contributes to its sustainability by reducing the environmental impact associated with virgin raw materials. The colour scheme features a neutral palette with subtle accents of colour. Flexibility and collaboration in the use of space were also key, as was a strong visual identity.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was to move away from the traditional, rigid, institutional image typically associated with audit and advisory firms while reflecting the global stature and identity of the company. The solution was a concept built on duality that embraced imperfection as an aesthetic value by juxtaposing contrasting materials and finishes. This balance of opposing qualities transformed the conventional corporate space into a timeless, human-centred environment.
- Research
- The team analysed the company's existing offices, values and brand identity as a global leader in audit, tax and advisory services. Given its presence in over 100 countries, the aim was to strike a balance between precision and subjectivity. The result is a flexible, human-centred environment that challenges the traditional appearance of a workspace. It is sensorially rich yet calm, creating an emotionally engaging and focused setting.
- Inspiration
- Given the global nature of Forvis Mazars, the conceptual approach was built on duality, aiming to strike a balance between technological precision and artisanal subjectivity.
Handcrafted, bespoke, natural and organic elements coexist with rational, precise and technological elements. Reflective surfaces are juxtaposed with coarser materials, such as textured plaster and stone. This creates a narrative in which this constant dialogue between opposites enriches the space with depth and emotion. - Project Duration
- The project was completed in 2024 and is located in Porto, Portugal, at the Icon Douro building.
- Operation Flow
- In pursuit of a spatial identity that aligns with the organisation's values, we embraced the concept of full flexibility, incorporating clean desk and anywhere office principles. The spatial proposal integrates collaborative areas and cutting-edge technology, with a particular focus on people’s well-being. Despite the increasingly digital nature of the workplace, our goal was to create an environment in which productivity, mental health, innovation and human connection can coexist.
- Team Members
- Main Architect: Sérgio Manuel Nobre
Collaboration: Renata Caetano Pereira
Stefani Goulart
Builder: Fantoffice, Lda
Mechanical engineering: Eng. Fernando Oliveira (Master Eletric)
Lighting Design: Eng. Marco Gomes (Amperengenharia)
Mechanical Engineering: Eng. João Silva Ferreira
Electrical Engineering: Eng. Marco Gomes (Amperengenharia) - Image Credits
- Image #1: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #2: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #3: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #4: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #5: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
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