ETH Medals for outstanding doctoral theses at D-ARCH

The Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich has awarded the ETH Medal for outstanding doctoral dissertations at its recent graduation ceremony. This year’s recipients include Damla Göre (Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, GTA) and Sara Frikech (Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies, LUS), both recognized for research addressing historical subjects of the long nineteenth century.

Damla Göre completed her doctorate under the supervision of Professor Maarten Delbeke, PD Dr. Anne Hultzsch, and Professor Deniz Türker. Her dissertation, Salon alla franca: Gender, Furniture, and Interior Design in the Late Ottoman Media (1850s–1928), examines the transformation of traditional Ottoman living spaces into the “salon alla franca.” Positioned at the intersection of material culture and gender studies, the project interprets interior design as a site of everyday practice and a vehicle for socio-political change.

Sara Frikech’s dissertation, Hydrological Landscapes of Empire in Morocco: The Making of Colonial Meknès (1845-1956), investigates the material and spatial control of water in colonial Morocco. Her research demonstrates that hydraulic infrastructure functioned not only as a technical system but also as a key instrument in the consolidation and maintenance of French colonial power. The dissertation was supervised by Professors Tom Avermaete, Corey D. Ross, and Hollyamber Kennedy.