Berta Rahm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Berta Rahm
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| Born | October 4, 1910 |
| Died | October 10, 1998 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Alma mater | ETH Zurich |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Nägeliseehof farm SAFFA exhibition pavilion |
Berta Rahm (October 4, 1910 – October 10, 1998) was a Swiss architect, writer, and publisher. She also worked as an activist for women's rights.
Contents
About Berta Rahm
Berta Rahm was born in St. Gallen, Switzerland. This was on October 4, 1910. She grew up with an interest in building design. Her uncle, Arnold Meyer, owned a successful building company. This likely inspired her.
Early Life and Education
Berta studied architecture at ETH Zurich. This is a famous university in Zurich, Switzerland. She studied there from 1929 to 1934. After graduating, she received a special grant. This money helped her travel. She explored countries like Scandinavia and the Netherlands.
Starting Her Own Architecture Firm
After her travels, Berta worked in several towns. These included Hallau, Flims, and Zurich. In 1940, she decided to open her own business. She became an independent architect. Berta was very inspired by buildings in Scandinavia. She loved their simple and practical style.
She designed many vacation homes. She also built family houses. One famous project was for the SAFFA exhibition in 1959. This was a special show about women's work. Her pavilion showed off the Scandinavian style. The freedom women had in Scandinavia also impressed her. In 1942, she wrote a book about it. She even included her own drawings.
Challenges and New Paths
Being a woman made it hard for Berta to get building permits. She was also left out of design competitions. These were especially for big public building projects. Because of these challenges, she decided to close her architecture firm. She retired as an architect in 1966.
After closing her office, Berta started a new company. It was a publishing firm called ALA-Verlag. This company focused on books about women's rights. It operated into the 1990s. ALA-Verlag published many books. These included biographies of important women. They also reissued classic books on feminism. For every book she published, Berta wrote an introduction and an afterword.
Memberships and Activism
Berta Rahm was a member of several important groups. She belonged to the Swiss Engineers and Architects Union. She was also part of the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA). Additionally, she joined the Federation of Swiss Women's Associations. These groups helped her work for women's rights.
Key Projects
