Frida Escobedo is a Mexican architect. She specifically designs and restores urban spaces: housing, community centers, art venues, and hotels. When creating, Escobedo illustrates her works within a general theme of time, but not in a historical context but rather in a social context. She founded her own architectural and Design Studio in 2006 which is currently located in Mexico City. Escobedo is known for creating temporary and interactive works which can accommodate multiple intended purposes. In 2018, she became the youngest architect to work on the Serpentine Pavilion. Her architectural work includes projects such as the courtyard at La Tallera in Cuernavaca, while her artistic undertakings can be seen in places such as the Museo Experimental el Eco in the Mexico City or the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Escobedo was named one of the top 30 most influential architects in London by archdaily.com because of her work on the Serpentine Pavilion.
As a child Escobedo accompanied her father to the hospital where he worked as a doctor. The hospital is where she spent her time staring out the window at near by housing complexes. In an Interview with Architectural Digest, Escobedo says she was "trying to understand how space reflects people’s personalities,” by looking out the window. She reveals later in the interview that people's emotions and relationships are revealed by building's design.
Casa Negra
In 2003, with Alejandro Alarcón, she founded the "Perro Rojo" studio, whose one of the most recognized works is "Casa Negra", which was designed in complete freedom by a person who wished to live surrounded by nature. The block structure is mounted on four tubes and lifted above the earth, and the rooms are located inside this structure. The design was finished with a large window to create total visibility of the City of Mexico, evoking the sensation of being behind a large camera.
In 2013 she created a circular arena and in 2015 designed a series of mirrored complexes in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum. When creating, Escobedo illustrates her works within a general theme of time, but not in a historical context but rather in a social context.
Serpentine Pavilion
In 2018 Escobedo designed the Serpentine Pavilion for the London's Kensington Gardens. In her design she used materials and architectural styles from both Britain and Mexico in order to create a work that would capture the historical and cultural aspects of each country. The exhibit was open to the public from June 15 to October 7, 2018. The design of the Pavilion is an allusion to courtyards typically attached to houses in Mexico. The structure featured latticed walls of British made cement which allow both light and wind to pass through; the open, yet enclosed structure Escobedo designed is intended to create an illusion of secrecy. She also makes use of a small pool and a mirrored ceiling which creates a contrast between light and shadow that changes throughout the day as the sun moves angles, the shadows that shift resembles the passage of the day.
