Melissa Gallery | Pascali Semerdjian Architects

When we visited the place where the Gallery would be located, we felt that the space provided a cozy distance from the pace of the city. We then drew a parallel with the older shelters in existence - the caves. It was based on this reflection that we developed the project. Designed in partnership with Edson Matsuo, Grendene’s design director, the Melissa Gallery was designed to harmonize with the concept of a shelter, of refuge in the middle of a megalopolis. Floor, wall and ceiling were built with the same finish to stress this impression, and the shoes are arranged in small increases in both wall and floor that evoke stalagmites - the cave formations that protrude from cave floors towards the ceiling. To complete the mysterious atmosphere, we created a natural empty floor space in the back of the gallery. This void is the heart of the Gallery. Its creation was inspired in the manufacturing of Melissa products, because it evokes the channel through which the plastic is injected into the shoe molds. The gallery receives visual projections that are constantly changing, so this heart radiates strength and catalytic energy throughout the site. In other words, it is architecture with strong traces, but serving as support for the intervention of guest artists.