Chile: Dora Riedel

Born in 1906 in Valdivia, Chile, Dora Riedel was the first woman to earn a diploma in architecture in Chile and in South America (1930), and one of the first women to obtain a license to professionally practice architecture in Chile. She held a diploma in architecture from the University of Chile located in Santiago, Chile (1930), and a PhD in interior architecture from the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany (c. 1935). After graduation, Riedel remained in Germany. She married Anton Hammerle (1934), who was also an architect. Their family relocated to Munich, Germany (c. 1935–1938) and then to Innsbruck, Austria (c. 1938) for her husband’s employment. Riedel designed the home in which the family resided in Innsbruck (1947); this building would be the only completed architectural project of her design. The Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile (Chilean College of Architects) established a Dora Riedel Award in her honor (2017), recognizing innovation in Chilean architecture. Riedel died in 1982 in Innsbruck.