How the Luxury Sales Gallery Is Evolving Toward a More Experiential Model

Luxury sales galleries are taking on a larger role in preconstruction projects, particularly in markets where buyers may be choosing among dozens of developments that will not be finished for several years.

About 115 condominium projects totaling nearly 18,000 units were in preconstruction across downtown Miami, Miami Beach, and Broward County during the first quarter of this year, according to ISG World data reported by Bisnow.

Henrique Driessen, founder and CEO of real estate commercialization studio Elephant Skin, said buyers often arrive at a gallery with much of the basic research already done. They have seen renderings, studied the neighborhood, and compared competing projects online. “Luxury buyers no longer want to be shown a property. They want to be surprised,” he said.

At Tempo, a Foster + Partners-designed development in Praia Brava, Brazil, Elephant Skin worked with developer Müze on the project’s positioning, commercial strategy, narrative, and buyer experience, including Casa Müze, the project’s sales environment.

At Casa Müze, prospective buyers move among an architectural model, furnished rooms, vegetation, real-time visualization, and a 270-degree immersive cinema. “Preconstruction real estate is not selling today. It is selling a vision of tomorrow,” Driessen said. Rather than displaying every feature, finish, and amenity at once, the team considered what buyers needed to understand first, where questions were likely to arise, and which parts of Tempo were better experienced physically or digitally.

Driessen does not see the technology as an end in itself. His shorthand is “A screen is not a strategy.” He said each part of a gallery should reveal something, reduce uncertainty, or help establish the value of the property.

In Miami, other projects are also giving buyers more to experience before construction is complete. At Mercedes-Benz Places, a 3,000-square-foot gallery includes a furnished model residence, a full-scale Formula 1 simulator based on a planned tower amenity, and a VR environment for exploring the future property. The Kempinski Residences Miami Design District sales gallery gives buyers an early introduction to the architecture, interiors, and hospitality experience planned for a development expected to be completed in 2029.

Driessen sees the role of the sales gallery continuing to expand throughout the sales process. “The sales gallery is moving from a presentation space to a networking hub where relationships are built, communities begin to form and the project remains alive throughout its development,” he said.