Architect Gabriela Carrillo: Build Something That Disappears | Louisiana Channel

“Every place has its own personality.” Meet Mexican architect Gabriela Carrillo, who invests herself in transforming public spaces both as an architect in her own name and as part of Colectivo C733.
“The philosophy of the Colectivo is sharing. It’s a democratic way of making decisions.”
“And I think when working in a public space, you must let go a lot. You need to find out that the work you're doing is not yours, that you're creating a canvas, and that canvas will be transformed by the people who will inhabit it. And I think in making the people involved, it's an opportunity not to have all the responsibility on our back.”
Gabriela Carrillo (b. 1978) started her eponymous studio in 2019 as a collaborative and interdisciplinary space for architectural work. She is also a co-founder of Colectivo C733, which is dedicated to developing public projects in Mexico. Previously, she was a partner at Taller Rocha Carrillo for over nine years.
Gabriela has been an academic at the Faculty of Architecture, UNAM, since 2003, where she currently leads the research and graduation seminar Estudio RX. She has taught at prestigious institutions such as Harvard GSD, Kent State University, and the WAVE program in Venice, Italy, among others. Her work has been exhibited and honored in various national and international biennials and featured in renowned publications such as Domus, Casabella, Arquitectura Viva, and Architectural Review.
With over twenty years of experience, Gabriela has received numerous accolades, including the Emerging Voices Award in 2014, the Federico Mariscal Chair (the highest recognition for professional practice by the Faculty of Architecture at UNAM), and the Médaille d'Or from the French Academy of Architecture. She was named "Architect of the Year" by Architectural Review in London in 2017 and by Architectural Digest Mexico in 2020 and 2023 and was awarded The Royal Academy Dorfman Award in 2023. As part of Colectivo C733, she received the 2024 Obel Award for achieving 36 projects in 36 months. Gabriela has also been a member of the National System of Art Creators and, since 2021, an academic member of the Academy of Architecture of Mexico, Mexico City chapter.
Colectivo C733 was established in 2019 to develop public projects. It brings together the architectural studios of Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio José Amozurrutia (TO), Eric Valdez, and Israel Espín. Many of its members are current or former students and faculty from the UNAM School of Architecture. The collective’s first project emerged from a competition organized by SEDATU (Mexico’s Secretariat for Agrarian, Land, and Urban Development) in collaboration with UNAM. Their work addresses social inequalities and conflicts in highly vulnerable cities across Mexico.
Gabriela Carrillo was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner on the occasion of receiving the Obel Award in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2024.
Camera: Jarl Therkelsen Kaldan
Edited by: Jarl Therkelsen Kaldan
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2024
Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, and C.L. Davids Fond og Samling. This film is supported by Dreyersfond and Fritz Hansen.
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