tatiana bilbao discusses her work ahead of the 2018 venice architecture biennale

ahead of the 2018 venice architecture biennale, global agency PLANE—SITE is asking prominent architects to reflect on time, space, and existence — three topics that also provide the name for one of the biennial festival’s collateral events. as part of the series, a new film — which can be viewed at the top of this page — features an interview with mexican architect tatiana bilbao, who discusses her design philosophy, including the role of the architect in society, how buildings can enhance human life, and the necessity for intricate hand-work and locally sourced materials.

tatiana bilbao’s studio is documented as part of the video
image © PLANE—SITE

in the short film, tatiana bilbao suggests that architects have a moral responsibility to foreground people over profit. in her words, architecture is the act of ‘making places and spaces, by people, for people’. produced by PLANE—SITE, with filmography from michael waldrep, the video has been funded by the european cultural centre in the build-up to next year’s biennale. the series of films has been commissioned by the GAA foundation, the organization curating the TIME SPACE EXISTENCE exhibit.

‘it’s not the shape of a building, it’s what it does to people’, says bilbao
image © PLANE—SITE

the 2018 venice architecture biennale is titled ‘freespace’, a word which, according to curators yvonne farrell and shelley mcnamara, describes a generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity. the event will present built and unbuilt projects, proposals, and elements of work that exemplify ‘essential qualities of architecture’. see designboom’s ongoing coverage of the event here.

the mexican architect stresses the importance of making things by hand
image © PLANE—SITE

bilbao has previously collaborated with artists ai weiwei and gabriel orozco
image © PLANE—SITE

a variety of projects and concepts line the office walls
image © PLANE—SITE

bilbao and her studio designed a social housing project in the mexican state of coahuila
image © jaime navarro

elements of the project were presented at the 2015 chicago architecture biennial
image © jaime navarro

bilbao says that ‘a building should be both by and for people’
image © jaime navarro

a sports area forms part of the ciudad acuña social housing project
image © jaime navarro

the ‘beehive-like’ ventura house in monterrey, mexico
image © rory gardiner