Irina Davidovici

Dr. Irina Davidovici has been the Director of the gta Archives (Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture at ETH Zurich) since January 2022. She is a trained architect and historian, having obtained her doctorate in history and philosophy of architecture from the University of Cambridge in 2008 and her Habilitation from ETH Zurich in 2020. She led the gta Doctoral Programme in the History and Theory of Architecture from 2019 to 2021. Irina’s research straddles housing studies, the history of housing cooperatives, and the history and criticism of Swiss architecture. She is the author of Forms of Practice. German-Swiss Architecture 1980–2000 (2012, 2nd expanded edition 2018) and editor of Colquhounery. Alan Colquhoun from Bricolage to Myth (2015).

Design by Riot and Committee - The Story of Zurich Coops

In her talk, Irina will discuss the Zurich tradition and evolution of cooperative housing. From the earlier pragmatic alliance between workers and the city's social-democrat governance, to the newer generation of environmentally conscious, experimental cooperatives, this story in three chapters concludes with a reflection on the shifting iconographies of cooperative architecture.

Space is limited so we ask that you please request an invitation through our contact form.