Meet Visiting Faculty Daniel Escotto

Daniel Escotto is a professor of architectural theory and history. His areas of research are 20th-century architectural heritage, the European diaspora of modernity in Latin American countries and its effects on the arts and architectural culture. Holding a master’s in arts and architecture studies from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Escotto has taught at the School of Architecture of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) for the last 21 years. 

Escotto has profound expertise in the implementation of projects and policies in urban public spaces and the relation to politics and civic culture. He oversaw the integration of the inscription dossier for the Central University City Campus of UNAM as a World Heritage Site, is a former Public Space Authority of Mexico City Government, and is the founder and director of the postgraduate program in Public Space and Urban Mobility at UNAM. He also led project development on the public space and infrastructure improvement program, a nationwide action of the Federal Government of Mexico. 

Currently, Escotto is teaching a graduate seminar at the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) titled “Social Responsibility of Architecture and Urban Planning in Mexico” through the institute’s Tinker Visiting Professor program.

We recently caught up with Daniel to learn more about him and his work.

Your expertise is in 20th-century architectural heritage and the European diaspora of modernity in Latin America. What are you currently researching? Any ongoing projects?

Yes, for a long time, I have been studying the effects of immigration on Mexican architecture and cities, specifically those figures who arrived in the late 1930s from Germany, which contributed to Mexican modernity both aesthetically and in ideology and culture. The case of Max Cetto and his influence on Luis Barragán's architecture has been one of my topics since then. Currently, I’m researching how architecture and politics interact, from the architecture by powerful and rich leaders since dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, as in the cases of Germany and Mexico, to how architects’ influences and ideologies have configured our cities. I carry out all this research in an academic setting, parallel to my professional practice as an architect and urban designer.

Can you tell us about your upcoming Advanced Studio next semester? How will this course build upon the graduate seminar you’re currently teaching at LLILAS about social factors and urban development in Mexico?  

My studio will be a course that explores the architectural and urban conditions in the Yucatán Peninsula, specifically in certain cities where the stations of the new Tren Maya are located. We will analyze its impact, the development it is generating, and propose a project to integrate into these conditions. This area of Mexico is undergoing significant changes that go beyond the longstanding effects of tourism in the region. Infrastructure like the Tren Maya, inaugurated last year, will be crucial for the development of communities in the peninsula. The site’s history originates from the Maya culture, and all of this blends into the territory, making it an exceptional place for studying architecture and urban design.

As a Tinker Visiting Professor at LLILAS this fall, and as a visiting professor at UTSOA this spring, what are you most excited to bring to students from UNAM and Latin America as a whole? And on the other hand, what are you looking forward to taking back with you from your time here at UT?

I am honored to hold this position as a Tinker Visiting Professor at LLILAS at UT. My course, "The Social Responsibility of Architecture and Urban Design in Mexico," will be fully connected to the Studio Mexico course at the UT School of Architecture, as it will be the space where we put into practice all the concepts of socio-spatial equity, inclusion, accessibility, and, above all, the opportunity to design for a more humane city. This approach has already begun in Mexico with the federal government’s Urban Improvement Program (PMU) from the previous administration, where I had the opportunity to lead numerous projects with these goals in mind. Now, this vision can be explored within UT’s architecture and urban design programs, making it even more interesting as it provides an external perspective, similar to that of European immigrants in Mexico in the past century, which enriches the culture of any country. This should be the future of our discipline — a holistic and human-centered vision.

What is something that students and colleagues should know about you? Besides your work, what is something you are passionate about, or what do you do for fun?

I am a musician and an amateur, passionate about producing sounds from different instruments, including percussion and string instruments. In fact, I have also drawn connections between architecture and music — the resonance box that architecture ultimately becomes, the resonance box of musical instruments, and even the human body itself. In this case, the city of Austin, with its strong musical character, is completing my experience entirely. I feel very happy to be here.