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Respect. (from the lat. respectu) n. 1. respect; 2. consideration; high regard; 3. deference; compliance; veneration; 4. honour; worship; 5. relation; refererence...
We believe that everyone should be respected for their work, for their attitudes, opinions and options.
Rigor. (from the lat. rigore) n. 1. harshness; strength; 2.fig., severity; punctuality; accuracy.
There is no "more or less levelled", "more or less upright”, "more or less clean" or "more or less safe", but rather “levelled”, "upright”, "clean” and “safe". The rigour is reflected in our procedures, in time and in the rules to follow. In the light of moral and principles, being severe means being rigorous.
Passion. (from the lat. passione) n. 1. intense and usually violent feeling (affection, joy, hate, etc.) which hinders the exercise of impartial logic; 2. derived from a feeling; 3. great predilection; 4. partiality; 5. great grief; immense suffering...
Under the sign of passion – a text of the Portuguese poet Regina Guimarães – is our icon. Passion is to reveal great enthusiasm for something, favourable encouragement or opposite to something.
It is the sensibility transmitted by an architect or engineer through work.
Passion is the dedication to a project. Passion is a state of warm soul.
Loyalty. (from the lat. legalitate) n. the quality of being loyal; fidelity; sincerity.
Respect for the principles and rules that guide the honour and probity. Faithfulness to commitments and agreements undertaken, staunch character.
To remain loyal to the business partners because we depend on them and they depend on us.
Being trustworthy for being loyal.
Solidarity. (from the lat. solidare) n. 1. the quality of being solidary; 2. reciprocal responsibility among the members of a group, namely social, professional, etc.; 3. sense of sharing another’s suffering.
Being solidary is being a friend, offering our hand with genuine generosity and bringing joy and human warmth to those who, somehow, are marginalized. Being solidary is being more human. A solidary company is recognized as a fair and non-selfish company. A solidary company is a preferred choice in business. It is a more competitive company. Volunteering is a vehicle to solidarity. It is modern, fair, cultured, friend, it is a noble gesture of moral elevation.
Courage. (from the lat. coraticum) n. 1. bravery facing danger; intrepidity; to have audacity; 2. moral force before a suffering or setback; 3. [fig.] to input energy when performing a difficult task; perseverance...
Courage is essential in our life. Courage to face less pleasant situations when complex issues come up, not expecting random resolutions.
It is a value that we must highlight as opposed to the fearful, cowardly and laziness.
The courage to react to criticism not with an attitude of demotivation or sadness, but rather to search for the means and the action to overcome its own reason. This kind of courage, which is also an intellectual courage, is highly recommended.
Ambition. (from the lat. ambitione) n. 1. vehement desire of wealth, honours or glories; 2. expectation about the future; aspiration; 3. lust; greed…
Vehement desire to achieve a particular goal. Ambition not to resign ourselves. Ambition to take the best potential from ourselves. Ambition to deserve ourselves. Ambition to be athletes in our top-level competitive jobs. Ambition to beat our brands. Ambition to get the best deals with the maximum value, due to the high levels of proficiency and efficiency.
Esthetics. ESTHETICS (from the Greek aisthetiké, "sensitive") n.f. 1. Philosophy branch of philosophy that studies the beauty and nature of artistic phenomena; 2. author's own style, time, etc.; 3. harmony of shapes and colors, beauty; 4. set of techniques and treatments that aim to beautify the body.
We decided to build the company's economic foundations under a cultured, cosmopolitan and cool image. Because it is a charming state of being. Good taste because we are sustainable and we respect the planet. Good taste because we are sensitive. Good taste just because.
Responsibility. (from the lat respondere) n. the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; a form of trustworthiness.
We must be certain that, before a choice, we chose what is best for both of us and not just the best for each one. Each employee is responsible for his negotiated activity and co-responsible if the co-worker does not fulfil his own task, thus preventing the common goal. A team is a set of individuals - is a whole. In the business game, as in social or family contexts, everyone must comply with their own relative position and we shall not permit that one of ours fails to be in our team.
idealista
An emblematic concrete project built by the Braga-based DST group has been distinguished by ArchDaily in the offices category.
Some buildings do more than occupy space. They change the way we look at a city, rewrite the landscape and become the quiet backdrop to new urban routines. In Lisbon, beside the Tagus, one such discreet but unmistakable landmark has been born, namely EDP’s new headquarters. A concrete-and-light giant, designed not only to work in, but also to be lived in, crossed and observed.
And now the world has taken notice. The international architecture portal ArchDaily has named this project “Building of the Year 2026”, in the Offices category – and at the centre of this story is a construction company from Braga that has made concrete its signature – the DST group.
The “Building of the Year” title is more than just another badge for its portfolio. It is international recognition of architecture produced in Portugal and, in particular, of engineering born in Braga and now standing out abroad.
The new EDP headquarters was designed by the Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, a Pritzker Prize winner, in collaboration with the Portuguese architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça. Together, they conceived an office building that goes beyond its function to also serve as a square, a viewpoint and an urban route.
The work was placed in the hands of the dst group. Several companies within the Braga-based group participated in the project: bysteel, dte, tbetão, tgeotecnia, tlaboratório, tmodular, tagregados and bim+. This was a highly technical collective effort, which has now achieved worldwide recognition.
This is not a building that hides itself. The exposed concrete façades present themselves as both skin and structure, with no excessive embellishment: there is texture, substance and weight.
The complex consists of two towers, east and west, connected at the basement level.
Its scale is anything but modest:
- 23 800 square metres (m2) of gross floor area;
- 11 400 m2 of usable service area;
- 4 parking levels;
- 257 parking spaces, 97 of them public.
The base consists of a reinforced concrete structure; on the upper floors, a mixed solution combining lightness and strength; throughout the building, a geometry that commands respect.
An architectural gesture between the two towers makes all the difference, in the form of a vault-shaped tunnel, 10 metres wide, at the ground floor level.
Behind the visual impact lie figures that tell another part of the story:
- 22 000 m3 of concrete;
- 3700 tonnes of steel;
- 45 000 m2 of formwork, studied in detail.
Inside, the building exchanges the robustness of concrete for the closeness of warmer materials. The star is Australian Acacia solid wood, with around 3000 square metres applied to walls and ceilings.
This extensive use of wood brings visual and tactile comfort, softening and humanising the working environment.
Another standout element are the Viúva Lamego ceramics. More than 3500 square metres of hand-produced and hand-painted pieces, true works of art, line the walls and the panoramic lift shafts.
Outside, at the centre of the building, a public square opens up. It is an empty space designed to be lived in, crossed by workers, visitors and curious Lisbon residents. Here, the building ceases to be “just” a company headquarters and becomes part of the city.
From that square emerges one of the most unexpected elements: a viewpoint.
The viewpoint extends over the landscape with the confidence of something that knows its worth:
- 50 metres in length;
- 20 metres as a cantilever, suspended in the air.
It forms a monumental balcony over the Tagus, a place designed so you can stop, breathe and see Lisbon from a different perspective.
Two awards and one featured country
Portugal did not shine only in Lisbon. In the same edition of the “Building of the Year 2026”, another Portuguese project received an award, namely the rehabilitation of an old canning factory in Matosinhos which won in the Industrial Architecture category.
The 15 winners of the “Building of the Year 2026”
Among thousands of nominations from around the world, ArchDaily gave awards to 15 projects in different categories. The winners included:
- Best Applied Product Category: The ET-302 Memorial / Alebel Desta Consulting Architects and Engineers, Ethiopia;
- Commercial Architecture Category: Neuhoff District / S9 Architecture, United States;
- Cultural Architecture Category: Anatomy of a Dhow, Bahrain Pavilion, Osaka Expo 2025 / Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, Japan;
- Educational Architecture Category: Faculty of Humanities Building – Industrial University of Santander / Taller de Arquitectura de Bogotá, Colombia;
- Healthcare and Wellness Architecture Category: OAKV Healthcare Space / Atelier Carle, Canada;
- Hospitality Architecture Category: Hong Tra Hoa Binh Bui Thi Xuan Café, Vietnam;
- Houses Category: Mom’s House / Studio Zé, Brazil;
- Multi-Family Housing Category: Bagsværd Observation Home / JAJA Architects, Denmark;
- Industrial Architecture Category: Canning Factory / OODA, Portugal;
- Interior Architecture Category: Signa Sports United High-Rise Tower / Allen Kaufmann Architekten, Germany;
- Offices Category: Energia de Portugal Headquarters / ELEMENTAL, Portugal;
- Public & Landscape Architecture Category: Lattice Creative Garden / RAD+ar (Research Artistic Design + Architecture), Indonesia;
- Religious Architecture Category: Raj Sabhagruh Discourse Hall / Serie Architects, India;
- Small Scale & Installations Category: SUPRA Pavilion / SO? Architecture and Ideas, South Korea;
- Sports Architecture Category: Catholic University Stadium Modernization Project / IDOM, Chile.