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This article focuses on Bouw en Techniek (1930-1931), a trade journal for the building industry and predecessor of the much better known de 8 en Opbouw (1932-1943), the mouthpiece of Nieuwe Bouwen (Dutch Modernism) in the Netherlands. The fact that de 8 en Opbouw had its origins in another journal was no secret; it is the reason why it began immediately with volume three, and why its cover bore the curious announcement ‘included in Bouw en Techniek’ until well into the 1934 volume. But exactly what kind of journal Bouw en Techniek was is difficult to reconstruct because it was not collected by institutions. Based on three single surviving issues and the scanty and fragmentary source material surrounding them, the article sketches a picture of this obscure predecessor of de 8 en Opbouw and of the relation between the two journals. By focusing on the publication history it becomes clear how both journals – in different ways – endeavoured to strike a balance between editorial content and commercial interests. The article also positions Bouw en Techniek within the (wide) array of commercial trade journals in the Netherlands in the early 1930s.
Bouw en Techniek was founded and headed by J. van Creveld, an Amsterdam trader in building supplies. Although Van Creveld had no publishing experience, his father was editor-in-chief and publisher of an important journal for Jewish community in the Netherlands. Bouw en Techniek was not aimed exclusively at architects, aspiring instead to appeal to a broad group of building professionals. It focused on building materials, technical news, tenders and trade fairs. The editorial pages consisted for the most part of second-hand material, such as press releases from the industry and translated summaries of articles from foreign journals. It is notable that while in many journals editorial and commercial content was strictly separated, in Bouw en Techniek advertisements were routinely and explicitly linked to editorial contributions, and vice versa.
After two volumes, Bouw en Techniek was renamed de 8 en Opbouw and the editing fell into the hands of two architectural groups, De 8 (Amsterdam) and Opbouw (Rotterdam). Unlike Bouw en Techniek, de 8 en Opbouw set its sights on a clearly defined readership of ‘progressive’ architects and manifested itself as a modern journal with a distinct editorial orientation. Advertisements disappeared from the cover and the editorial pages were separated from advertising sections. Nevertheless, de 8 en Opbouw, too, depended on advertising revenue for its survival and its low cover price and attractive editorial content were aimed at providing well-paying advertisers with a select readership. The publisher was well aware of the advertisers’ interests, which sometimes resulted in a tense relationship with the editors. This continued to be the case even after de 8 en Opbouw acquired a new publisher – Van Holkema & Warendorf – in 1935.
This article focuses on Bouw en Techniek (1930-1931), a trade journal for the building industry and predecessor of the much better known de 8 en Opbouw (1932-1943), the mouthpiece of Nieuwe Bouwen (Dutch Modernism) in the Netherlands. The fact that de 8 en Opbouw had its origins in another journal was no secret; it is the reason why it began immediately with volume three, and why its cover bore the curious announcement ‘included in Bouw en Techniek’ until well into the 1934 volume. But exactly what kind of journal Bouw en Techniek was is difficult to reconstruct because it was not collected by institutions. Based on three single surviving issues and the scanty and fragmentary source material surrounding them, the article sketches a picture of this obscure predecessor of de 8 en Opbouw and of the relation between the two journals. By focusing on the publication history it becomes clear how both journals – in different ways –...
This article focuses on Bouw en Techniek (1930-1931), a trade journal for the building industry and predecessor of the much better known de 8 en Opbouw (1932-1943), the mouthpiece of Nieuwe Bouwen (Dutch Modernism) in the Netherlands. The fact that de 8 en Opbouw had...
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The large, wooden panel inscribed with the Law of Moses in Leerdam’s Grote Kerk is a striking example of a ‘Ten Commandments panel’, a common decorative element in Dutch churches after 1572, the year in which the Northern Netherlands rebelled against Spanish rule. This year also marks the switch from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism as the public religion of the young Dutch Republic. In church buildings elements associated with Catholic worship made way for large and richly decorated panels bearing biblical texts, of which the text of the Ten Commandments was by far the most popular. Of the 223 known examples 155 are still to be found in church buildings today. The Ten Commandments panel in Leerdam’s late-medieval church is distinguished by its baroque monumentality, by the presence of the date 1698, and by the coat of arms of the Stadholder William III (1650-1702), Prince of Orange and King of England, Scotland and Ireland, who also bore the title of Count of Leerdam. The customary location for a panel with the Law of Moses is the boundary between choir and nave. It was in the choir that the Lord’s Supper was usually celebrated, the sacrament recalling Christ’s sacrifice in both Roman Catholic and Protestant worship. The panel with the Ten Commandments, usually affixed to the choir screen above the entrance to the choir, refers to the mercy of Christ, who fulfilled the Law through the shedding of His blood. A fine example of this placement in the early Protestant period can be found in Leiden’s Pieterskerk.
The panel in the church in Leerdam was originally located above the western entrance to the nave and formed a unit with the portal. In the eighteenth century it was placed above a new wooden porch in the choir screen, but after this later addition was removed during the most recent restoration of 1957-1960, the panel was relocated to the north transept where it now stands against a blank wall. The lower double door zone has been replaced by oak panelling. The panel’s most distinctive feature is the sculpted, painted and partially gilded coat of arms of William III in the broken, segmental pediment above the classicist framing of the twin tablets of the Law. The shield is flanked by the ornaments of the Order of the Garter, while the plinth bears the monogram W : R (Willem Rex).
There is currently no evidence to suggest that the panel was gifted to the church by William III in his capacity as Count of Leerdam. Nor is the motivation for placing the panel in the church entirely clear. Whereas painted glasses, organs and baptismal and Lord’s Supper utensils decorated with the coat of arms of members of the House of Orange-Nassau are generally considered to be gifts, that is probably not the case for panels inscribed with biblical texts and decorated with the Orange-Nassau coat of arms. It is more likely to have been an act of homage to high authority, in the case of Leerdam a tribute to its count, William III.
The large, wooden panel inscribed with the Law of Moses in Leerdam’s Grote Kerk is a striking example of a ‘Ten Commandments panel’, a common decorative element in Dutch churches after 1572, the year in which the Northern Netherlands rebelled against Spanish rule. This year also marks the switch from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism as the public religion of the young Dutch Republic. In church buildings elements associated with Catholic worship made way for large and richly decorated panels bearing biblical texts, of which the text of the Ten Commandments was by far the most popular. Of the 223 known examples 155 are still to be found in church buildings today. The Ten Commandments panel in Leerdam’s late-medieval church is distinguished by its baroque monumentality, by the presence of the date 1698, and by the coat of arms of the Stadholder William III (1650-1702), Prince of Orange and King of England, Scotland and Ireland, who also bore the title of Count of Leerdam....
The large, wooden panel inscribed with the Law of Moses in Leerdam’s Grote Kerk is a striking example of a ‘Ten Commandments panel’, a common decorative element in Dutch churches after 1572, the year in which the Northern Netherlands rebelled against Spanish rule. This year also marks...
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Every city is defined by the sum of infrastructure and urban fabric in the form of blocks. The block is the ideal intermediate scale between the city as a whole and all the individual plots and is an important link between historical town planning and building history. The key focus of this survey was the relation between the size of the city and the number of blocks, and the nature and form of the blocks in relation to the constituent plots and their buildings. In order to study this, a method was developed whereby blocks could be systematically defined. The survey employed the oldest cadastral map dating from 1832 and the cadastral numbers on that map played a key role. The resulting uniformly defined assemblage of blocks formed the basis for this primarily quantitative survey.
The study of the relation between the size of the city and number of blocks revealed a remarkable ratio with only a few large cities and a sizeable middle group having between 11 and 20 blocks. For the forty largest cities, the relation between the sum total of blocks and solitary buildings, wet and dry infrastructure was studied. The consistent 4:1 ratio between the total number of blocks and dry infrastructure is a particularly significant finding. Also considered were the average size of a block, its composition, and the arrangement of the buildings within the block. It was found that while one city might have private front steps another did not. The article also proposes a refinement of the concept of the ‘closed block’, with the introduction of ‘perimeter blocks’ (with inner courtyard), filled blocks, and blocks with passageways or rows of charitable housing, dubbed ‘dooraderd’ (veined) or ‘doorregen’ (marbled). The difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous blocks (with atypical inclusions) is also discussed, whereby it is argued that heterogeneous blocks are more susceptible to erosion.
Following these theoretical aspects the article concludes with a case study of the city of Deventer, where a block atlas was used to chart the building-historical values in this city. A comparison between older and more recent cadastral maps combined with an analysis of existing buildings, made it possible to identify buildings with hidden values. Those findings have since been incorporated into the city’s redevelopment policy. In addition, the study yielded a more accurate estimate of the number of buildings in Deventer that might contain an older historical core.
Every city is defined by the sum of infrastructure and urban fabric in the form of blocks. The block is the ideal intermediate scale between the city as a whole and all the individual plots and is an important link between historical town planning and building history. The key focus of this survey was the relation between the size of the city and the number of blocks, and the nature and form of the blocks in relation to the constituent plots and their buildings. In order to study this, a method was developed whereby blocks could be systematically defined. The survey employed the oldest cadastral map dating from 1832 and the cadastral numbers on that map played a key role. The resulting uniformly defined assemblage of blocks formed the basis for this primarily quantitative survey.
The study of the relation between the size of the city and number of blocks revealed a remarkable ratio with only a few large cities and a sizeable middle group having between 11 and 20 blocks....
Every city is defined by the sum of infrastructure and urban fabric in the form of blocks. The block is the ideal intermediate scale between the city as a whole and all the individual plots and is an important link between historical town planning and building history. The key focus of this...
Boekbesprekingen
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Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Jannes A. de Haan
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Jannes A. de Haan
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Jannes A. de Haan
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Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Rob Grubben, Taco Hermans (red.)
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Rob Grubben, Taco Hermans (red.)
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Rob Grubben, Taco Hermans (red.)
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Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Lode De Clercq en Steven Van den Borne
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Lode De Clercq en Steven Van den Borne
Boekbespreking van een boek geschreven door Lode De Clercq en Steven Van den Borne