Frida Escobedo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frida Escobedo
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Escobedo in 2014
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| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) Mexico City, Mexico
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| Alma mater | Universidad Iberoamericana |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | La Tallera |
Frida Escobedo, born in Mexico City in 1979, is a famous Mexican architect. She designs and fixes up many kinds of city spaces. This includes homes, community centers, art places, and hotels.
Frida often thinks about time in her designs. She focuses on how people use spaces now, not just their history. She started her own design studio in Mexico City in 2006. Frida is known for making temporary and interactive buildings. These can be used for many different things.
In 2018, she became the youngest architect to design the Serpentine Pavilion. This is a special art project in London. She was also only the second woman to be asked, after Zaha Hadid. Her work includes the courtyard at La Tallera in Cuernavaca. You can also see her art at the Museo Experimental el Eco in Mexico City. Another one of her works is at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
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Becoming an Architect
Frida Escobedo studied architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana. Later, she earned a master's degree from Harvard University. She has been teaching at the Universidad Iberoamericana since 2007.
She has also been a judge for design schools. These include Harvard and the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico. Frida has taught classes at other famous universities too. These are Columbia University and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.
Frida still works in Mexico City today. She has her own architecture and design company. She enjoys working with other architects on projects.
Early Projects
In 2003, Frida started a studio called "Perro Rojo" with Alejandro Alarcón. One of their well-known projects was "Casa Negra" (Black House). This house was designed for someone who wanted to live surrounded by nature.
The "Casa Negra" was inspired by a camera. It was built on four tubes, lifting it above the ground. The rooms inside felt like being in a large camera. It had a big window that showed a wide view of Mexico City.
In 2006, "Perro Rojo" closed. Frida then started her own architecture and design firm. She has been designing under her own name ever since.
Amazing Designs
In 2010, Frida created an art piece at the Museo Experimental el Eco. It had movable cement slabs. These could be moved around for talks and speakers.
In 2013, she built a round arena. In 2015, she designed mirrored structures at the Victoria and Albert Museum. These designs show her interest in how spaces change over time.
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In 2018, Frida designed the Serpentine Pavilion in London. She used materials and styles from both Britain and Mexico. This showed the history and culture of both countries. The Pavilion was open from June to October 2018.
The design was like the courtyards found in Mexican homes. It had walls made of British cement with a lattice pattern. This let light and wind pass through. The open but enclosed space made it feel a bit secret. She also added a small pool and a mirrored ceiling. This created changing shadows as the sun moved. It showed how time passes during the day.
Recent Work
In 2019, Frida designed a bag for Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A.. It was inspired by ancient Mexican patterns. She used concrete block designs from her Mar Tirreno 86 house in Mexico City.
Also in 2019, she designed a store for Aesop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She used special bricks made from earth from the Mixteca area of Oaxaca, Mexico. These bricks had a unique texture and color. She arranged them in a cool grid pattern.
In 2022, Frida was chosen for a big project. She will redesign a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This is a very important job. She is the first woman to design a wing at The Met.
Frida always looks at many ideas before starting a new project. For her "System_01" art piece in Geneva, she thought about ancient stone circles like Stonehenge. She also looked at Native American tipis and old lake houses. She even studied spiderweb drawings.
The "System_01" has three round wooden parts. They are different sizes and heights. They are open, like viewpoints, and invite people to use the spaces. Frida believes that a building is truly finished when people start to live in and use it.
Childhood Dreams
As a child, Frida often went with her father to the hospital where he worked. She would look out the window at nearby houses. She tried to understand how the design of a space showed people's feelings. She realized that buildings can reveal how people feel and relate to each other.
Frida didn't always know she would be an architect. She said she was 17 when she had to choose a career. But she always knew she wanted to do something creative. After her first week of architecture school, she knew it was her true passion.
Notable Works
- 2004 – Casa Negra (with Alejandro Alarcón) - Mexico City
- 2006 – Hotel Boca Chica Restoration (with José Rojas) - Acapulco, Mexico
- 2010 – Pavilion at the Museo Experimental el Eco - Mexico City
- 2012 – Restoration of La Tallera - Cuernavaca, Mexico
- 2013 – Plaza Cívica - Lisbon
- 2015 – Installation at the Victoria & Albert Museum - London
- 2018 – Serpentine Pavilion 2018 - London
- 2019 – Aesop Park Slope - Brooklyn, New York
- 2022 – System_01 Pavilion - Geneva, Switzerland
- 2022 (announced) – Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing renovation, The Met – New York, NY
Awards and Recognition
- 2004 – Young Creators' Scholarship, Mexico
- 2009 – Winner of the Young Architects Forum, New York
- 2010 – Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship
- 2012 – Her work was shown at the Venice Biennale of Architecture
- 2014 – Ibero-American Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism Prize
- 2016 – Emerging Architecture Award
- 2017 – Architectural League Emerging Voices
See also
In Spanish: Frida Escobedo para niños
