Berta Rahm Architectural Collection

Architect of Switzerland. Educated at l'Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Zurich (Diploma in architecture, 1934). Inspired by her uncle, Arnold Meyer, who had a successful architecture practice in Hallau, Rahm opened an architecture practice in Zurich (1934). Her one-woman office encompassed all phases of architectural practice, from project design and construction plans to supervision of the construction sites. Some notable projects include: Hohweri House, a historical house in Hallau, Switzerland (1953-1954), an exhibition pavilion for SAFFA in Zurich, Switzerland (-1958), and Nageliseehof Farm, a progressive farm in Hallau, Switzerland (-1951).

In 1966 Rahm closed her office when she felt that the obstacles she faced due to her gender made it impossible for her to continue her architectural practice. She then began her second career as a publisher founding ALAVerlag, a publishing company devoted to literature by women and about the emancipation of women.

Rahm enjoyed traveling. After receiving a traveling grant she visited Holland and Denmark in 1935 and toured Scandinavia several years later. Scandinavian architecture was an important model for Rahm and she was also impressed with the emancipated lifestyles of women in the Nordic countries. These travels influenced her work and led to the publication of an award-winning novel, 1939: Reise nach Skandinavien und FinnIand (Zurich, 1942), which included many of her travel sketches.

Rahm died in 1998.