• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, November 10, 2022

WPP is building a new office complex—or “campus” as it prefers to call them—that will house 7,000 employees across 26 of its agencies based in São Paulo, Brazil. It’s the holding company’s first Brazil campus and is scheduled for completion in 2025. 

According to the company the campus is being designed for the hybrid work environment that much of the industry has embraced post pandemic. 

WPP said in a statement that the new building is a “pioneering architectural concept devised by Brazilian architect Gustavo Utrabo that integrates sustainability, the local community and its natural surroundings.” It’s located in Vila Leopoldina, a neighborhood that has attracted start-ups and is emerging as a creative hub in São Paulo. Utrabo won an open pitch for the project that began in 2019.

WPP chief Mark Read stated, “WPP’s São Paulo Campus will provide innovative spaces for increased collaboration and will act as a catalyst for world-class work in Brazil. With people and nature integrated into the heart of its design, our aim is for the space to be the creative destination within the city for our clients and the country’s most talented people.”

BDG architecture + design, owned by WPP, will lead the interior design of the campus, complementing Utrabo’s architectural proposal. 

The five floors of the complex will be connected by walkways and staircases that will lead to large spaces and galleries connected to external areas, featuring collaborative workspaces on the balconies and terraces. In addition to an auditorium, the ground floor will be open to the public and will feature shops, cafés, restaurants and a large green area.

The campus landscaping was developed by the architect Raul Pereira and will incorporate more than 110 species of plants and trees native to the Atlantic Forest, reflecting the rich biodiversity of Brazil in the Campus' more than 7,000 square meters of garden space.

The building will seek the LEED Gold Certification for sustainability and will utilize solar panels to power the complex.

By the end of this year about 50% of WPP's employees globally will be working at campuses that have been constructed over the past few years and designed to enhance both cost efficiencies and collaboration among staff teams. That number is expected to rise to 75% by the 2025-26 period.