An office’s location isn’t just a dot on the map—it defines how people work, interact, and live. It’s the epicentre of daily routines, a hub for networking, talent attraction, and company culture.
And its position within the city? It matters. Oh, it seriously matters. Because there’s a world of difference between working in a glass tower a stone’s throw from the financial district and spending your days with hoodie-clad startuppers in a converted factory-slash-creative hub.
Let’s not kid ourselves: it’s not the city that sets the tone. It’s the neighbourhood.
And while there’s no right or wrong, it’s essential to understand that choosing where to open an office isn’t just a real estate decision—it’s a strategic one. From Milan to Rome to Lisbon, there are neighbourhoods rewriting the rules of work. Let’s take a look.
“Milan l'è un gran Milan” (which roughly means: “Milan is truly a great Milan”)
Working in Milan can mean a lot of different things. It could be a daily obstacle course of traffic jams, espresso-fuelled meetings, and high-speed lunches among the skyscrapers of Porta Nuova. Or it could mean a slower pace among urban parks and high-tech offices along the Navigli.
The city is a patchwork of work cultures defined by its neighbourhoods: Chinatown, for example, is evolving into a melting pot of offices (and dumpling incubators), while Lorenteggio is shedding its industrial past and embracing a new kind of business energy.
Case in point: Niterra’s headquarters at the L Building, Lorenteggio Business Center (link). Once a gritty industrial zone, the area is now a strategic hub for businesses looking for smart spaces, solid transport connections, and flexible infrastructure.
The Niterra office is designed to maximise collaboration and employee wellbeing, with adaptable layouts and sustainable solutions. A choice that perfectly reflects the neighbourhood’s transformation—from manufacturing fringe to contemporary business node.
Rome: Where the Office Meets the Grande Bellezza
Rome is many things—but static? Never.
Sure, working from a historic building with a view of the Colosseum has its charm (until you’re blocked by a protest or a film crew). But today, the real action is happening elsewhere.
Neighbourhoods like EUR and Ostiense have become the gravitational centre of Rome’s business scene, thanks to modern infrastructure, next-gen workspaces, and a growing corporate ecosystem.
Just look at JPMS’s office at 23/31 EUR Center (link). A space that fully embraces the EUR identity: corporate, but never dull.
The office is built for maximum operational efficiency, with modular layouts, advanced digital infrastructure, and a functional design that makes it a textbook example of how companies can thrive by aligning with their neighbourhood. For those working here, the future of business has already begun—just with better coffee breaks in Piazza Marconi.
Lisbon: Where Start-Ups, Surf, and Hybrid Offices Coexist
Forget the traditional office: in Lisbon, work happens everywhere—from riverside co-working spaces to former factories reborn as creative hubs.
The city has become Europe’s test lab for flexible work, with start-ups rethinking what a “headquarters” even means and neighbourhoods that make dynamism part of the daily routine.
A prime example? The headquarters of a confidential luxury client at Oriente Green Campus (link). Located in Parque das Nações—a district born from the regeneration of a former industrial area—the office is part of an ecosystem where business, residential life, and green spaces thrive in harmony.
The interior design reflects this vision: hybrid environments, sustainable materials, and layouts built for fluid, modern workstyles. If the future of work is flexible, they’re already living it here.
Right Neighbourhood, Right Culture
The message is clear: cities shape business strategy, sure—but more than that, they shape how we experience work.
So, for companies on the hunt for their next office, the question isn’t just about cost per square metre. It’s: Where do I want my people to show up every day? And just as crucially: What kind of work culture am I trying to build?
Because in the end, the right neighbourhood doesn’t just house an office. It helps shape the people who work on it.
