¡HELLO! My name is Melissa Arias, I am a highly motivated Architect from Colombia, with more than 160,000 sqft (15,000sqmt) designed in different countries of the world. I have 5 years of experience in architectural and interior design with an emphasis on the development of corporate spaces, creating both conceptual and functional spaces, from their initial phase to their construction stage, providing special attention to detail and efficiency. I am a creative and proactive person, whose way of working consists of sharing knowledge, as well as learning, teamwork, planning, and solving problems through innovative proposals that meet and many cases exceed the expected results. “We are in constant dialogue and interaction with the environment to the degree that it is impossible to detach the image of the self from its spatial and situational existence” -Juhani Pallasma
RED HAT RED HAD - LATAM HEAQUARTERS TYPE: Professional STATUS: Under construction LOCATION: São Paulo, Brasil ROLE: Melissa Arias - Lead Architect Designer SIZE: 37.700sqft - 3.500sqmt Red Hat Headquarters in Latin America, located in São Paulo, were designed based on the concept of interaction, and how connection is the source of new ideas and the engine of change. Contact between the user and the space, creating adaptable environments within a user-centered approach is the basis on which Red Hat offices were designed. Based on Red Hat’s corporate identity, as well as local aesthetic, the 37.700sqft offices were designed to comply with local building codes as well as North American standards, LEED and ADA. For creating both floors of the project we relied on the statement that space can only come to life with interaction, and how it is transformed by an external actor.
........25th Floor
........24th Floor
LOOK & FEEL
Lobby- 24th Floor
Open Office - 25th Floor
The strategy on which the offices of Red Hat São Paulo are designed is a hybrid open office model, divided into different “neighborhoods” where you will find different types of work stations, such as regular sit to stand working typologies, meeting spaces of different sizes, spaces created for promoting collaboration between workers, multifunctional spaces, among others. By doing this, the office environment becomes a dynamic, energetic, and living organism.
COLLABORATIVE SPACES Organic Lighting installation
Organic Lighting installation
Interactive wall installation
Mobile Whiteboards
Modular Furniture
Modular Furniture
Modular Millwork with vegetation
MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACES Booths
Multifunctional wall installation
Ceilings with natural vegetation
High Seating postitions
Modular furniture
Multifunction Room
Collaborative/Enclave
MEETING SPACES
Phonebooth
Enclave
Meeting Room
Collaborative Space - 25th Floor
GLOBANT HEADQUARTERS First place design competition+Design Development+Construction TYPE: Professional STATUS: Under construction LOCATION: Buenos Aires Argentina ROLE: Melissa Arias - Lead Architect Designer SIZE: 110.000sqft - 10.000sqmt
The design of the 110,000 sqft Globant Headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina explores the relationship between nature, inspired by Argentina´s National Parks, and technology, which is Globant’s main line of business. Each one of the 10 floors of the project reflects the atmosphere of a different National Park from Argentina, creating an experiential design atmosphere that guaranteed an exceptionally healthy work ambiance for the employees through high-tech automation and environmental stimulus. Its heterogeneous and multidirectional circulations reveal the different spaces of the project within an organic rhythm, brought from a natural exploration experience. The project promotes wellbeing through natural elements and has LEED and WELL certifications.
28 Floor - Auditorium Talampaya Dessert National Park
THE CONCEPT
The Grid The classic corporate model, obstructs creativity, wellbeing and collaboration with spatial stiffness.
Nature Incredible and diverse natural landscapes from Argentina´s National Parks as an opportunity to introduce a renovation to the classical model.
PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION 110,000 sqm
950
30 Floor - Cataratas de Iguazú Amenities, Chill out, game zone
29 Floor - Tierra del Fuego
Talent Scouting Center, auditorium
28 Floor - Talampaya Dessert
Lobby, gym, training rooms, music room, makers space, museum
27 Floor - Nahuel Huapi Board, Open office, Maternity
26 Floor - Esteros del Iberá Facilities, Open office, Servie Desk
25 Floor - Baritú Jungle
Globers Travel, Open office, Finance
24 Floor - Lanín
Open office, Recording Studio
23 Floor - Glaciares Open office
22 Floor - Sierra de las Quijadas Open office
21 Floor - Los Alerces Open office
The Glitch
Glitching Landscapes
The error as the unespected revealing of nature,beauty and sensorial comfort, as the organic force that breaks stiffness.
A new work environment designed for productivity, collaboration and wellbeing, presents a harmony between nature and technology through domotic
28 Floor - Lobby Talampaya Dessert National Park
30 Floor Cataratas de Iguazú National Park
28 Floor
28 Floor - Auditorium Talampaya Dessert National Park
Innovative collaborative spaces for multipurpose activities, creates a new methodology for creative problem solutions within the workflow environment.
30 Floor
30 Floor - Chill Out Cataratas de Iguazú National Park
Experiential leisure spaces for creating with diverse uses in the workplace environment, have demonstrated to help employees develop stronger creative and collaborative skills.
21 Floor Creating Biophilic environments through natural inspired textures, like wood and vegetation, helps to stimulate the user promoting wellbeing spaces
21 Floor - Meeting Room Los Alerces National Park
24 Floor Natural patterns can potentiate wellbeing and creativity within a flexible environment, that adapts to collaborative and individual activities.
24 Floor - Open Office Lanín National Park
JOHNSON & JOHNSON ONE J&J PANAMÁ OFFICES TYPE: Professional STATUS: Under construction LOCATION: City of Panamá ROLE: Melissa Arias - Design Assistant Size: 17.660sqft - 1.650sqmt The design of the 17,660 sqft office space for ONE J&J Panamá are inspired by energetic and vibrant environments using natural textures, creating a peacefull and innovativeatmosphere for teamwork and collaboration, guaranteeing an exceptionally healthy work ambiance for the employees. The project was developed using BIM tools in order to improve construction processes and reduce material waste.
3D View
Pantry
Lobby
Open Office
EAN UNIVERSITY EAN UNIVERSITY TYPE: Professional STATUS: Built LOCATION: Bogotá, Colombia ROLE: Melissa Arias - Design Assistant Size: 193.750sqft - 18.000sqmt The Interior design of the 10 floor LEED building of EAN University in Bogotá, was designed under the concept of a biosphere containing a series of phyisical environments and users. Exploring the relationship within the users makes up an educational trophic chain resulting in an environment of learning and knowledge for students. The building was developed using BIM tools in order to improve construction performance and reduce material waste as well as project costs, it also achieved LEED GOLD certification.
Multifunctional Classroom
Atrium
Cafeteria - Real Life
Cafeteria - Render
ALAN ALAN HEADQUARTERS TYPE: Professional STATUS: On going LOCATION: Paris, France ROLE: Melissa Arias - Designer/Consultant Size: 21.500sqft - 2.000sqmt
Rooftop - Axonometric view
Located in Paris I was tasked with the design of Alan Headquarters, a health and wellness startup based in France. Their workplace consisted of seven floors of office spaces. I developed the design for the first floor with office spaces, the top floor that was a chillout, and collaborative space for Alaners, and the rooftop of the building. The concept on which the design relies is about the journey of a groundhog in nature from the hills and valleys in a landscape full of flowers to the top of the hill in a rocky snowy landscape. The groundhog is the representation of Alan’s brand identity, this is why throughout all the design of the office spaces we wanted to translate the true spirit and identity of the company into the design, through an experiential journey in which every Alaner will develop a stronger sense of belonging to the company. Furthermore, the finishes and materials were carefully selected so that every floor will represent a different level in the journey. The first floor called the village was a place filled with bright colors and dynamic spaces. The chillout space, at the top of the mountain, reflected the snowy landscape with pastel colors and camping settings.
Chill space - Axonometric view
The Village - Floor plan
SPACE TYPOLOGIES
Collaborative space Rooftop - Render
Chill booth
Chill space - Render
Booths
Coffee Point
Collaborative space - Render
CO-WORKING NY WORKPLACE TYPE: Professional STATUS: On going LOCATION: New York ROLE: Melissa Arias - Architect Designer Size: 2150sqft - 200sqmt Located in New York City, I was selected as the designer for two co-working buildings. The first one, 31 Little Nassau Street, located in Brooklyn was designed as high-end office space for medical and law firms, using materials such as leather, marble, and special fixtures, to reflect a sophisticated style as well as a warm space for workers. The second one is 34N Airmond Rd, an office building located in Manhattan, for high-end clients, through the use of warm materials and diverse textures such as wood, marble, felt, special flooring types, leather, ceiling fixtures in order to reflect a sophisticated look and ambiance to meet the client expectations and achieve the project goals.
31 Little Nassau St Coffee - Render
31 Little Nassau St Collaborative space - 3D View
31 Little Nassau St Lounge - Render
34N Airmond Rd Lobby - Render
34N Airmond Rd Meeting Room - Render
34N Airmond Rd Circulations - Render
MOMA Design development + construction TYPE: Professional LOCATION: Panamá ROLE: Melissa Arias - LeadArchitect Designer SIZE: 3,900sqtf - 363sqmt
The 3,900 sqft project for the offices of Moma Holdings in the city of Panamá, is developed based on the concepts of harmony, equilibrium and sensorial experiential spaces. Therefore, by creating pure geometric forms and maintaining an axis of balance towards nature, the project seeks to explore differents types of experiences for the user, creating a healthfull environment for the employees, and promoting collaboration between workers. As a finance consultancy company, the new design of the offices of Moma Holdings aim to develop spaces that reflects its proximity to their clients, by using warm and welcoming textures.
Principal meeting room
Axonometric Through an organic circulation the different spaces of the project are connected, creating a sequential path between collaborative and private spaces. General Plan
Cross Section
Cross Section
Textures inspired in nature, like wood, stone and vegetation; create an atmosphere of wellbeing for the inhabitants
Lobby
Collaborative multiporpose spaces promotes different and new ways of working for the employees, as a result creativity and productivity are increased
Collaborative Space
COLSUBSIDIO Design competition TYPE: Professional LOCATION: Bogotá, Colombia ROLE: Melissa Arias - Lead Architect Designer SIZE: 8.700 sqft - 750sqmt The 7,500 sqft project for the offices of Colsubsidio, arises from the identification of two important pillars in the materialization of space. The first identifies Colsubsidio and its history as one of the potentializers of progress in the country. The second pillar develops an understanding of the immediate context in which the project is located, both the area in the city and the floor where it is implanted. Based on these two pillars, the architectural space is proposed as a journey that takes the user to frame his life experience towards the visuals of the city.
Entrance - The Plaza
DESIGN STRATEGIES
The Plaza The representation of the public space that becomes the place of welcome and collaboration.
The Journey The circulation takes the user on a journey that frames the enriching and inspiring exterior views.
Floating Workstations These spaces are articulated by the plaza, allowing a direct interaction focused on teamwork.
Permanent Workstations Multiple spaces willing to develop different activities,focused on collaborative environments.
Meeting points
Secuential spaces
Flexible encounter spaces, that promote creativity and cllaborative environments, improving wellbeing.
Generate new interactions, always surrounded by the visuals of a city connecting the different spaces
General Plan
Cross Section
Open Office
Collaborative - Open Office
EMSD Design Development TYPE: Professional ROLE: Melissa Arias - Lead Designer LOCATION: Hong Kong SIZE: 10,764sqft - 1,000sqmt
The design of the 11,850 sqft for the EMSD offices in Hong Kong, are based on the concept of Biophilic environments. Biophilia, is a design concept that seeks to generate direct space connections between those who experience the spaces and nature. Research shows that biophilic designs reduces stress, improves positive emotional functioning, and concentration and recovery rates in people, through lowered blood pressure and heart rate; reduced attentional fatigue, sadness, anger, and aggression; improved mental engagement/attentiveness, attitude and overall happiness. The design strategies of the project are also based in collaboration, through creating different types of spaces for working and creating connection between employees. The use of natural textures such as stone and wood, in contrast to metal and natural vegetation using bright colors in space as methods for reflecting nature within a biophilic environment.
Moodboard & Inspiration + color palette
PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION Brainstorm Room Co-Working Collaborative Space Open Office Pantry Library Collaborative Space Open Office Meeting Room
Co-Working Collaborative Space Meeting Room
Private Office
Open Office + Collaborative Space
COLLABORATIVE WORKING TYPOLOGIES
PRIVATE SPACES
MEETING SPACES
FEXIBLE MEETING SPACES
COLLABORATIVE
COLLABORATIVE
ENCOUNTER SPACE
CO-WORKING
INDIVIDUAL SPACES
BRAINSTORM ROOM
Through including diverse typologies and spaces for working, we created spatial diversity within the design proposal. As a result, the spatial atmosphere potentiates collaboration by breaking stiffness in the typical office environment.
3D Axonometric
WORKSTATIONS TYPOLOGIES
SHARED CREDENZA
HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE
LATERAL CREDENZA
Collaborative Space
Pantry
PRONOBIS Design development + construction TYPE: Professional LOCATION: Guayaquil, Ecuador ROLE: Lead Architect Designer SIZE: 9150sqft - 850sqmt
The design of the 5,920 sqft of the offices of Pronobis were inspired by the forms of connection within the cities that help us understand life in community, and how by intensifying life towards the center there is a greater interaction between those who inhabit it. The design strategies of the project were developed through an organic circulation that connects the different activities and spaces within the offices. By creating nodes connected through this circulation system, for leisure and collaborative spaces, we ought to break the classical office space with an innovative design proposal. The use of bright colors that could reflect also the company´s brand identity, resulted in vibrant spaces for growth and creativy. Natural textures such as wood and stone were implemented in the project, for improving wellbeing in a healthfull working environment following biophilic guidelines.
Collaborative Space
Lobby
Open Office