Disclosing Architecture: 18 Stories of Heritage and InnovationDisclosing Architecture: 18 Stories of Heritage and Innovation

Text Ellen Smit

Invented from Copies is a groundbreaking three-year research project by the Nieuwe Instituut, which for the first time explores of the cultural significance of analogue reproductions in architects’ design and office practices. The institute’s collection serves as an invaluable archive spanning from 1870 to 2000, a period marked by a revolution in analogue reproduction techniques. This change began around 1870, following the invention of photography a few decades earlier, which allowed architects to reproduce designs without the labour-intensive process of line-by-line tracing by hand. This shift facilitated significant advances in design and construction processes throughout the 20th century, both in time and space, and is reflected in the evolution of archival practices. Dossiers containing stacks of transparencies, brownprints, blueprints, whiteprints, sepia diazotypes, electrostatic copies, faxes and digital prints form the core of the collection. Zip foils and rub-on transfers were introduced in the 1960s, not only serving as reproductions in their own right but also stimulating analogue reproduction processes.

Although analogue reproductions dominate in terms of numbers, they often fall short in terms of content. They are undervalued and burdened by stereotypical prejudices. They are seen as relevant mainly in technical and legal contexts containing repetitive information, and are therefore also perceived as boring and unaesthetic. The consequences of this are far-reaching: reproductions are rejected, often overlooked for acquisition, or even destroyed. They seldom appear in exhibitions, collection catalogues and publications, and when they do, they are often poorly or inaccurately represented. More importantly, this perpetuates a highly stereotypical view of creativity. Conversely, hand-drawn sketches and colourful presentation drawings are celebrated as symbols of creativity, and attributed to architects who are seen as artists and creative geniuses. While this narrative is partly true, it does not tell the whole story. This one-sided focus ignores the contributions of other actors and disciplines, whose input is often captured through reproductions but remains marginalised in historical and heritage practices. Invented from Copies aims to acknowledge the contributions of other actors through such reproductions, giving them a voice in the practices of collecting, documenting, conserving and presenting at the Nieuwe Instituut.

Between 2021 and 2023, three curators – Hetty Berens, Clara Haard and Ellen Smit – researched three analogue reproduction techniques in the collection of the Nieuwe Instituut. These were the blueprint, the whiteprint – also known as the diazotype (later succeeded by the sepia diazotype or acute) – and self-adhesive zip foils and rub-on transfers. The three strands of research were the introduction of these materials into architectural practice, their application and their significance. The primary source material was the archives themselves, where the wide range of copies could be studied within the context of the whole design process. Moreover, ‘focusing on the copy’ gave the research a cross-media character, spanning all the collections, such as the photographic collection, the object collection and the library.

The pictorial narrative below presents a visual anthology of sources from the Nieuwe Instituut’s collection that emerged during the research for Invented from Copies, offering insights, raising new questions and guiding further research. Each sub-collection demonstrates the manifestation and development of copying practices. The copy acts as a unifying element between the collections, showing how they complement and enrich each other in terms of content. Each section provides building blocks for understanding the cultural significance of the copy

The cross-fertilisation between photography and analogue reproduction is both technical and visual. The technical process of photography, in which a translucent image is exposed on photosensitive paper, has had a profound influence on the reproduction practices of architects. Previously, architects had to trace their designs by hand to create copies. The photographic process, however, allowed them to produce a clear contact print of an entire design in one step. This photographic technique dominated architectural design practice from 1870 onwards, with the blueprint being one of its first experiments. Photographers, in turn, experimented with different shades of blue as a spot colour in their architectural photography

During the research for Invented from Copies, the background in portrait photographs proved to be a valuable source of information. In such images, reproductions sometimes appear either as showpieces or as working documents on construction sites and drawing boards. The photographs show the reproductions in staged and natural settings, revealing how architects used and valued them.

Reproductions make up a considerable part of the design dossiers in the archives of the Nieuwe Instituut. Of the 1.5 million drawings, at least half are blueprints, whiteprints, diazotypes (also called photoreproductive prints), plastic foils, Xerox copies, faxes, electrostatic prints and other types of reproduction. The collection also includes transparencies, which are essential for photographic reproductions. These dossiers reveal the full scope of reproduction practices. Not only do they document the first experiments and technical requirements for the production of reproductions, but they also reveal the competition between reproduction companies and the impact on design and construction practices. The peripheral documents and archival materials in these design dossiers were also important for the research for Invented from Copies. These include the paper used to wrap the stacks of reproductions, a letter book attributed to Cuypers, and advertising material for photoreproductive printing machines, showing how copying practices became an indispensable pillar of the architectural profession.

A close reading, study and comparison of reproductions and their role in the design process, reveals a wide range of copy types and their applications. These include early experiments, adaptations of drawing methods to copying processes, and analogue ‘master files’ used to create new reproductions.

A slide box from 1923, a collection of stamps, and a set of red pencils from 1970 – a glimpse into the Nieuwe Instituut’s diverse collection of objects, which includes hundreds of items from architects’ estates. At first glance, this collection seems disjointed, yet equally intriguing. What connects these objects? They illustrate how the practice of copying increasingly shaped architectural methods throughout the 20th century.

The poster collection is the most communicative part of the Nieuwe Instituut’s collection. Poster designers excel at drawing attention to messages in public space. This collection shows the crossover between architects, artists and graphic designers. In the 1970s, they shared a fascination with instant rub-on letters, figures and symbols from companies such as Letraset. With countless variations readily available, these materials expanded creative possibilities. Instruction manuals enabled anyone to use the material without special training.

If there’s one collection that is entirely indebted to the reproduction of information, it’s the library collection. Nieuwe Instituut houses thousands of publications on architecture, urban planning, landscape, interior design, graphic design, digital culture and analogue copying culture. Handbooks for architects, for example, provide ‘tips and tricks’ on copying techniques: when to use each method and how to optimise your design’s aesthetics with specific reproduction techniques. Advertisements in magazines and product catalogues explain why reproduction techniques are so useful for architects and how to move seamlessly from analogue copying to digital design, highlighting similarities and differences. This convergence brings together multiple perspectives and stakeholders, with commercial entities increasingly influencing the architectural profession and architects themselves exploring valuable reproduction methods to advance their field.

Nieuwe Instituut can now benefit from the insights gained from Disclosing Architecture by applying them to its own heritage practice. Invented from Copies has shown how we can value, collect, access and conserve archival collections differently.

Collection policy is gradually shifting to highlight the contribution of other stakeholders or knowledge domains in addition to the original archivist. Items that would have been excluded now have a place in the collection. Items that would previously have been discarded, such as the sheets of rub-on letters and figures and Ahrend’s packing paper, are now being preserved, catalogued, and presented in an exhibition. The value of this new collection mentality is that it highlights the influence of the copy companies on architectural visualisation

Invented from Copies has made us aware of the different types of reproductions in the archive and how they are made. Some photographic reproductions have been separated from certain types of paper to prevent chemicals from affecting the paper and pigments and better preserve them. Invented from Copies has also shown that dossiers consisting of transparencies, blueprints and whiteprints form a technical, content-related and visual relationship that allows for new interpretations of these archival materials. As a result, archivists are currently developing a method that preserves the content relationship of the dossier, while also taking into account the importance of protecting the archival material from damage by other documents.

Invented from Copies has led to a new policy on lighting conditions when exhibiting blueprints. Together with the Cultural Heritage Agency, the Nieuwe Instituut has researched the effects of light on blueprints. Until recently, it was believed that exposure to light would affect the blue colour of blueprints, and therefore they were only shown as facsimiles in exhibitions. However, this research has shown that blueprints regain their original colour when returned to darkness. This finding allows for more flexible guidelines, allowing original blueprints to be exhibited under certain conditions.

Nieuwe Instituut is currently preparing a publication on the copy in the architectural office, which will publish the findings of the research Invented from Copies. The book will be published in 2025.