Betty Emilia Prado de Tullio

FOTÓGRAFO

Rafaela Netto

OBJETIVO

To amplify the spatial sensation, attract the gaze of passersby and incite potential customers to enter the store, the main strategy was to bring natural light into the space. The partial demolition of the slab at the back of the hall, where the café is located, brightened what was previously a dark and damp space.

Corrugated fiberglass roofing sheet was installed along the ramp, providing filtered and diffused light. The design of its volume wraps around the mezzanine of the neighboring store’s stockroom. Artificial light was incorporated into the structure, with T5 fixtures for general lighting and track lighting that can be adjusted according to the arrangement of the products.

During the creative process, we sought to remain faithful to Bemglô's fundamental concepts: sustainable, artisanal and national production. That's why most of the vertical planes were painted in natural earth paint and the horizontal plane covered in terrazzo that reuses discarded glass fragments instead of pebbles.

Faced with a tight budget and deadline, the work was intensely experienced as a moment of creation; the space was developed in situ, amid the discoveries of structures and textures revealed during demolition. The reuse of construction materials, such as the wood transformed into shelves or the reuse of rebar in the garden display, tested and built on site, was possible because of the constant presence of the architects.

CONTEXTO

Located on Oscar Freire, one of São Paulo’s main commercial streets, Loja Bemglô occupies the remnant space or, more specifically, the semi-underground garage of a property whose formal space has been occupied by clothing brands for years.

The design challenge consisted in transforming the narrow ramp [3m wide x 25m long] and the small low-ceiling hall into a salubrious, welcoming and bright space to receive and showcase the work of artisans from all around Brazil.

ACTUACIÓN

The concrete portico, framed by the same corrugated roofing sheets used in the ceiling, demarcates and draws passersby’s attention to the small entrance. The metal beam on the wall to the right, which directs the gaze to the interior of the store, is another attractive element that generates curiosity. The beam also allowed the ramp to be used as an exhibition space, maximizing the use of the built area. Display modules of various sizes can be attached to it, allowing for various spatial configurations, since the store is a space that temporarily houses many creators.

To make the most of the hall, the most functional area, which includes the toilet, stockroom, dressing room, payment and wrapping space, was arranged in a single nucleus that unfolds near the corner of the walls, so as not to disturb the exhibition space.

Bemglô's success has been fundamental in promoting the work of independent artists, craftswomen and indigenous communities from around Brazil right in the heart of São Paulo, as well as in the promotion of a creative economy and in the propagation of conscious consumption.