Gabriela Carrillo facts for kids

Gabriela Carrillo is a talented architect from Mexico. She is a partner at Taller Rocha + Carrillo, an architecture firm. She also helped start a group of architects called C733. Gabriela studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In 2012, she joined forces with Mauricio Rocha to create their firm.

Gabriela has given many talks and led workshops at universities in Mexico, the United States, and South America. Her designs have been featured in magazines and books around the world. In 2017, she was named Architect of the Year by Architectural Review and the Architects' Journal at their Women in Architecture Awards.

About Gabriela Carrillo

Gabriela Carrillo started her career in 2001. She worked as a project director at Mauricio Rocha's architecture workshop. In 2012, she became a partner, and the studio changed its name to Taller Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo.

Gabriela shares her knowledge by giving workshops and lectures to students. She also teaches at the Jorge Gonzales Reyna Workshop at UNAM. She has been a guest lecturer at other universities, including the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Marist University of Mérida.

Her work has been shown in many exhibitions both in Mexico and other countries. These include "Architecture in Mexico, 1900–2010" at the Amparo Museum in Puebla, Mexico, and shows in Croatia and Venezuela. Her projects have also been featured in well-known magazines like Code, Summa, and Domus.

Amazing Buildings She Designed

Gabriela Carrillo's designs are special because they fit well with the area around them. She carefully chooses materials from the local region and uses the best technology available.

Some of her important projects include:

• School of Plastic Arts and the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center in Oaxaca (2008)
• Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Ciudadela (2013)
• Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán (2015)
• Deans Building School of Commercial Banking (2015)
• Cuatro Caminos Photo Museum in Mexico City (2015)
• Iturbide Studio (2016)
• Matamoros Market (2020)
• Tapachula Station (2021)

San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center

In 2012, Gabriela Carrillo and Mauricio Rocha worked on the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center in Oaxaca. This building used to be a monastery built in the 1500s!

The architects carefully removed parts that had been added over time. This helped bring back the original look and create better spaces like courtyards and hallways. A special part of the project is a 700 square meter glass pavilion. It connects three levels of the building, including the library, offices, and exhibition areas.

The center also features a beautiful stained glass window and outdoor bars designed by the Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo. Gabriela used materials like wood and gray stone to mix the old history of the building with modern design. This helped create a place where culture can thrive with new exhibitions and events.

Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired

In 2013, the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired opened in Ciudadela. Gabriela Carrillo and Mauricio Rocha designed it. They focused on creating a space that works well for people with low vision.

The design uses indirect lighting, which is easier on the eyes. It also pays attention to other senses like sound and smell. Since audiobooks are important, they included soundproof booths for listening. Gabriela said, "Whether for the blind or the sighted, something we constantly seek, in any project, is silence."

Courts of Pátzcuaro in Michoacán

After a new law for oral trials was passed in Mexico in 2008, Gabriela Carrillo designed the Courts of Pátzcuaro in Michoacán.

The building was made with local stone and wood. The design of its walls and lighting was inspired by two types of buildings:

• Las Trojes: These are old houses from the Purépecha people in the Angahuan region.
• Tzin Tzun Tzan: This is a ceremonial space. Its influence can be seen in the use of glass and openings that make the building feel open and free.

Gabriela believes architecture can send messages and create better ways for people to interact. She said she thinks about how to connect public and private spaces. She also considers how light can shape a space and how open designs can create a feeling of fairness.

This project won the International Women in Architecture Award in 2017.

Tapachula Station

Tapachula Station is a large sport and cultural center in Tapachula, Mexico. It covers 7200 square meters and was designed by the C733 architectural group. In 2005, a big storm called Hurricane Stan badly damaged the train tracks, making the old station unusable. As part of a city improvement program, the abandoned station was saved and given a new purpose.

Awards and Recognition

Gabriela Carrillo has received many important awards for her work:

• 2017 International Women in Architecture Award: This is a top international award for women in architecture. She won it for her design of the courtrooms in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
• Silver Medal at the XIII Biennial of Mexican Architecture (2014)
• First Place of the CEMEX Award in the Social Impact category (2013)
• Works award in the Interior Design category for the Library for the Visually Impaired in Mexico City (2013)
• Silver Medal at the Mexico City Biennial

Selected Publications

• "Building for the Blind." Architectural Review 1470 (2020).

See also

In Spanish: Gabriela Carrillo (arquitecta) para niños