Frau Architekt. Over 100 years of women in architecture

The exhibition shows portraits of German and Swiss female pioneers and representatives of building culture. The show retells the history of architecture – from the perspective of women who have shaped and designed architecture for over 100 years.

“Frau Architekt” is an exhibition of the DAM, Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt am Main and was shown there for the first time in 2017/2018. With the aim of adapting the exhibition for a Swiss audience, the ZAZ (Zentrum Architektur Zürich) shows “Frau Architekt” in a slightly reduced form and supplements the 18 portraits of women from Germany with portraits of local pioneers and representatives of building culture.

The extension of the exhibition in the ZAZ consists of various areas: The foyers on the ground floor and first floor each feature portraits of SWISS PIONEERS and their WORKS. The SAFFA ROOM illustrates how the 1958 Swiss Exhibition on Women's Work in Zurich provided a unique opportunity for many Swiss women architects to become involved as designers. A TIMELINE documents the most important events in the history of Swiss women architects and in INTERVIEWS, various protagonists from different generations describe their perspectives on being a woman in the construction industry. The younger generation is also given a platform: the ZAZ offers young female architects a CARTE BLANCHE for two to three weeks at a time to present their office, their projects, and their attitude to a larger audience on a rotating basis. The show is complemented by STATISTIKSKULPTUREN in the interior and exterior spaces. The facts presented in installations and graphics show the quantitative reality behind Swiss architecture.

Exhibition at Zentrum Architektur Zürich

Article in Werk Bauen Wohnen, PDF [German]