Out of office: coffee and creative small talk with Tatiana Bilbao
Bodil Blain, Wallpaper* columnist and founder of Cru Kafé, shares coffee and creative small talk with leading figures from the worlds of art, architecture, design, and fashion. This week, it’s Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao, who is currently designing a brutalist, ethical aquarium in Mazatlán and has an exhibition at Copenhagen's Louisiana Museum of Modern Art opening in October 2019

Bodil Blain: How do you take your coffee?
Tatiana Bilbao: I don’t. Too much caffeine can drive me crazy!
BB: Where does your name come from?
TB: My great grandfather was an orphan in Bilbao and, when you have no name, they give you the name of the city you were born in. He became a prominent contractor and his son, my grandfather, became an architect. He was also important in the Bilbao government, but later moved to Mexico. My mother was of German descent, so I have an interesting heritage, being a refugee on both sides. I feel it is a privilege.
BB: Where does your creative spirit come from?
TB: The first influence for me when I was growing up was architect Lina Bo Bardi and it was not because she was a woman. Also, my parents were both teachers, of maths and physics, and teacher-parents are very good at encouraging their kids to progress in their strengths and interests.
Portrait of Tatiana Bilbao
BB: Tell me a little about your current aquarium project.
TB: I was asked to design an aquarium for the coastal city of Mazatlán [The Aquarium of the Sea of Cortes]. The brief called for an aquarium that looked like an aquarium, but I didn’t know what an aquarium should look like. Ethically I questioned it, but I felt it would become an important research centre. Sea levels will eventually rise and this has been factored into the brutalist structure. The most important part is how this building will give back to the local area – it’s not a zoo for fish!
BB: An exhibition of your work will open at Copenhagen’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in October. What is the show about?
TB: Louisiana is the most beautiful museum. The show explores our definition of landscapes and is laid out in three parts. The first covers our models and projects. The second part is a cabinet of curiosities that brings together things that represent the landscapes – objects, paintings, maps. The third is a physical interpretation of those landscapes in one room. I’m trying to transmit the context of our work and how we respond to it!
As originally featured in the July 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*244)
Design study for the Mazatlán Aquarium project
Design study for the Mazatlán Aquarium project
Tatiana Bilbao’s office in Mexico City
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Hedi Slimane creates second Celine dog collection to outfit and amuse your pet
The second Celine dog collection is revealed in an Hedi Slimane-shot photo series, starring the designer’s canine companion Elvis and some royal friends
By Jack Moss Published
-
Contemporary photographers making great leaps are united in London show
‘From a Common Gesture’ at London’s 10 14 Gallery, curated by Wallpaper*, unites 11 contemporary photographers working at the forefront of their field
By Sophie Gladstone Published
-
Byredo holiday collection draws inspiration from Wim Wenders and Georgia O’Keefe
Byredo’s creative image director Lucia Pica speaks to Wallpaper* in an exclusive interview, revealing her off-kilter design process
By Mary Cleary Published
-
1i Arquitectura’s House of the Tall Trees celebrates a spectacular forested site
This Mexican retreat, House of the Tall Trees, makes the most of a wooded site with a striking combination of glass, timber and concrete
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Casa Carrizo was designed as a breezy Mexican beach house
Casa Carrizo, designed by Mexican architecture studio BAAQ, is a beach house sitting on the idyllic shores of Mexico’s Pacific coast
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Casa HMZ by Lucio Muniain offers a labyrinthine sense of gradual discovery
An intriguing new build by Lucio Muniain channels the best of 20th-century Mexican architecture
By Ana Karina Zatarain Published
-
1i Arquitectura’s Casa Pedregal keeps its inner secrets safe from the street
A dramatically lit concrete interior defines Casa Pedregal, a new family house designed by 1i Arquitectura in Mexico
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Nico Sayulita offers an immersive architectural experience of the Mexican Pacific Coast
Nico Sayulita, designed by architecture studio Palma and developer Hybrid, is a new, design-led hospitality experience on the Mexican Pacific Coast
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Casa Enso II is in harmony with its Mexican context
Casa Enso II by HW Studio Architects is a new residence in tune with Mexico’s historic Guanajuato region
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Mexico City equestrian clubhouse makes stunning impression on the landscape
Studio RC’s steel and concrete stables and equestrian clubhouse are set within a wooded valley, offering space and views for sports and equine care
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Cabo Sports Complex is anchored to its site through volume and material
Cabo Sports Complex by Taller Hector Barroso in Baja California is the new home for the Mexican Tennis Open
By Ellie Stathaki Published