One year after acclaimed Mexican architect Frida Escobedo replaced David Chipperfield as the designer for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's $500 million modern and contemporary wing extension, Escobedo has spoken to Vogue about her vision fo the scheme. When completed, the project is expected to comprise 80,000 square feet of more accessible galleries and public spaces.

“My first thoughts were that this wing is quite isolated,” Escobedo told Vogue’s Dodie Kazanjian on a tour of the existing museum. “It feels like a separate part of the museum, and the question is, how can we integrate it more?”

While Escobedo is not due to present a design concept until June, she revealed to Vogue that her vision for the scheme will include some form of alteration to the building’s orientation. “Right now, the building is facing just one way, Fifth Avenue — the grand staircase, the Great Hall, and you can go in three directions to Egypt, to Greece, and to Europe,” Escobedo told the magazine. “It’s not that you’re going to be able to enter from the park, but there needs to be a signal that the museum is open to the west, too.”

“It’s a completely different mood,” Escobedo added. “It’s not just the grand stairs. You’re seeing The Met through the lens of now. There should be a different kind of softness and generosity to the park, visually, from the building.”

The Vogue article also saw Escobedo share an insight into the procurement process for the project. Having received an email from The Met explaining that they were seeking to expand their portfolio of architects, Escobedo met with the institution’s director Max Hollein to share ideas. Weeks later, the Mexico City-based architect would become one of five firms to take part in a competition for the project.

“We worked with each of the companies simultaneously for five months, as if we were already the client,” Hollein told Vogue. “What I find so striking about Frida is that she is very much connected to the artistic environment in our time. She creates enormously elegant and powerful spaces with a deep sensitivity to light and material. She really understands the museum as a communal space.”