MELISSA RICAURTE MUNOZ
McMillan Pazdan Smith
SAY IT LOUD - SOUTH CAROLINA Exhibitor
South Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I am inspired by the unnoticed (and often overlooked) beauties of the people and creation around me such as the kindness of those I encounter in my everyday life or the flowers growing through the cracks of the sidewalks.
MELISSA RICAURTE MUNOZ
Bio:
The Great Designer, Melissa Ricaurte, is a Greenville native and recent graduate from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and minor in Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies. She is a proud daughter of Colombian immigrants and has spent her educational years demonstrating her proud Latina heritage by being a mentor for others. She aspires to be a licensed architect to help her local community by ethically creating a sense of belonging for everyone within the built environment.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
For as long as I can remember I’ve always been artistic, curious and empathic. I would be fascinated by the buildings I'd see and walk through as a kid. I would use anything I could get my hands on to build & create from as long as I could remember.
What do you do?
I am a Design Professional within the Living & Community studio for McMillan Pazdan Smith in their Greenville office. I take abstracted ideas and translate them into tangible forms that encompass everything from napkin sketches to renders.
What excites you in the work you do?
The opportunity to positively impact a community through design. Architecture is the only art form that has to endure the elements as well as protect what's inside. It helps raise families, foster growth and give a space to the voices of the unheard.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I am inspired by the unnoticed (and often overlooked) beauties of the people and creation around me such as the kindness of those I encounter in my everyday life or the flowers growing through the cracks of the sidewalks.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Being a first generation college graduate has been my proudest accomplishment. Being able to take all I have learned through my education & actively impacting the community around me has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career so far.
Featured Project Name:
Modern Genovese 'Palazzo'
Featured Project Location:
Genoa, Italy
Featured Project Completion Date:
Unbuilt
Role in Featured Project:
Melissa Ricaurte, Undergraduate Designer
Featured Project Description:
Modern Genovese Palazzo is a Cultural project designed during my semester abroad in Genova, Italy. The project follows the evolution of the historic city of Genova to build a Public House as an institution that shelters private functions & a public platform for cultural exchange, embraces functional substitution & the evolution of the public sphere within the private building. Within our design we created the opportunity for the people of Genoa to celebrate & come together as one community.
