Critical Software Opens New Office in Coimbra

We have a new home in Coimbra. On 27 October, we officially opened our new office in the historic Coimbra Editora building, right in the heart of downtown Coimbra.

The fully rehabilitated building spans 6,000 m² across six floors, with room for 600 people, and replaces our former complex in the Taveiro Industrial Park. After almost two years of work, the building where Coimbra Editora once printed books is buzzing again, this time with engineers building technology the world depends on. To mark the opening, we hosted two panels on Knowledge and Innovation, where Vital Moreira (university professor and former Member of the European Parliament), architect João Mendes Ribeiro, university professor Luís Reis Torgal, Elisa Tarzia (co-founder and vice-president of 351 Portuguese Startup Association), Frederico Oliveira (Snyk), and Patrick Machado (CDTO at Critical Software) discussed the role technology plays across different sectors.

Moving to the city center was a deliberate choice. We wanted to be part of Coimbra's daily life, not just located in it.

“The city center challenges us. Being part of the life of its streets, of a vibrant downtown, and playing a role in an inspiring historic center fills us with positive expectations. We are not simply moving downtown. We are becoming part of it. Now, as before, this building will radiate knowledge and seek to influence, and contribute to, building a better world. Where Heidelberg printing presses once stood, there are now hundreds of people creating technology that can improve the way we live and function as a society. That, after all, is what drives us at Critical.” — Gonçalo Quadros, Critical Software’s Chairman.

Coimbra Editora was founded in 1920 by a group of university professors from Coimbra. From this building, it championed literature and became a nationally and internationally recognized name in legal education and publishing.

The rehabilitation, led by architect João Mendes Ribeiro, kept the original stone and timber structure and restored it with respect for its original lines. The timber from the old ceiling was even reused within the building itself.

The work began in December 2024 with around 140 workers on site every day, putting more than 121,000 hours into bringing the building back to life.

"Rehabilitating this building required close coordination between every team involved, to reconcile the preservation of historic heritage with the demands of a modern, efficient and sustainable workplace. From the start, we sought to integrate technological solutions that would optimize how the facilities run, improve our people's comfort and respect the building's legacy and character. It's a source of pride to see this project come to life and to know we've created the conditions for Critical Software to continue its journey, in a building that brings together history and innovation, in the heart of Coimbra." — Miguel Valério, Global Head of Facility Management at Critical Software.

This move is about more than space. Being downtown puts us closer to the people and institutions that make Coimbra what it is: its university, its startups, its cultural life, and the talent it has nurtured for generations. We want this building to be a place where that community meets, shares ideas, and builds things together.

For decades, this building helped shape minds through knowledge. Now it will do the same through technology. From Coimbra, and from our offices across Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, our purpose stays the same: to build technology that makes the world better and safer.