On Monday (January 18), Petrobras announced the start of the revitalization of its headquarters building (Edise), located on Avenida Chile, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The company will modernize the building by implementing sustainability measures, of inclusive design, in addition to the smart-office model, in which the occupation and management of offices is more efficient through technological solutions such as scheduling meeting rooms and workstations. per application. The new facility models will promote the use of technology and reduce idleness, aligning the building with Petrobras' strategy of cost reduction, continuous increase in productivity, and contributing to the process of digital transformation and organizational culture that Petrobras has been going through.

The Petrobras headquarters building started its activities in 1973 and has never undergone a complete renovation since. Among the planned improvements are the creation of collaborative spaces, of creation, experimentation and technology, enabling the adoption of agile work methodologies. On the second floor of the building, for example, there will be an incubator for startups, in order to allow greater integration of these companies with Petrobras, contributing to an environment of innovation. The renovation also includes a series of measures to make the building more sustainable, such as the implementation of a rainwater reuse system for gardens and cooling towers, and the installation of solar panels on the top of the building. In addition, the new spaces will have a tactile floor (differentiated floor with texture and color, so that it is visible to people with visual impairments), signage in Braille, among other improvements, aiming to make the facilities more inclusive for people with disabilities.

Currently, Edise has up to 5,800 employees simultaneously. With the reform and adoption of the smart office model, Petrobras' headquarters will have 7,000 work positions. As announced in August 2020, Petrobras will adopt a permanent teleworking model for employees of the administrative regime. The model has voluntary membership and a limit of up to three days per week. From the permanent teleworking by the company for up to 3 days a week, the expectation is that around 11,500 people can be allocated to Edise.

The company's forecast is that the first stage of the work will be completed in the first half of 2022. From that date, the work will continue with the building partially occupied, with an estimate to complete the entire renovation in the second half of 2023.

The history of the building 

Considered a landmark in national architecture, the Petrobras headquarters building was built between 1969 and 1974. The building project was chosen through a national competition organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil, in which more than 200 participated civil construction offices. Captained by architect Roberto Luis Gandolfi, the winning project proved to be both bold and futuristic, and after construction, it ended up becoming a symbol of the company itself.