Lisbon Afterwork 16 October, A Night of Energy, Ideas, and Connection

On 16 October in Lisbon, Insula Capital hosted an inspiring afterwork session that brought together some of the most forward-thinking voices shaping the future of living, design, and urban development.

The room buzzing with energy, bold ideas, and unforgettable conversations that matter, that’s how we’d sum up this unforgettable evening with Morph, Greystar, WSP in the UK & Ireland, SuperUrbanity, and WALLNUT® Design + Build taking the stage.

A huge thank you to our host Insula Capital and community sponsors atHomeGroup and amazing speakers for making this happen.

Highlights from the Keynotes

César Frías Enciso, Morph: revolutions and crises have significantly altered living patterns, though the development sector has been slower to adapt. It's difficult to design buildings that remain relevant for 50 years. Theres a challenge of fixed architectural designs in a world of flexible and changing human needs

Francisco Rocha Antunes FRICS, MOME Living: reminded the audience that “we can’t keep using the same recipe and expect different results.” A call to experiment and to approach housing with fresh, adaptable thinking.

Ludovic P., WSP in the UK & Ireland: emphasized the power of collaboration and large-scale vision: “Nature is the next asset class. Our mission is to change the world, and it starts today.” His message underlined that sustainability must move from aspiration to measurable impact.

Gary McLuskey, Greystar: addressed one of the sector’s biggest challenges — affordability. “To be a successful large operator, you need volume,” he said, highlighting how small- and mid-sized housing projects (3–6 homes) have proven more successful than towers. Greystar’s use of OpenAI sandbox environments to test ideas internally showed how technology can drive practical innovation.

Rodolfo Pinto, SuperUrbanity: spoke about the urban paradox: while 70% of people are moving toward cities, those cities are often the least livable. “We need to build places where people can truly live — not just survive.”
We need to Build places where people can truly live and not just survive

Pedro Vieira WALLNUT® Design + Build: brought an emotional perspective to design. “We don’t focus on meterage; we design for emotion.” Using VR, his team ensures that buildings connect to users’ feelings and needs from the very beginning. “Our industry lost the feedback loop — empathy is how we fix it.”

A huge thank you once again to everyone who made Lisbon 16/10 a success

📸 𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞