Archis

For 75 years, Archis magazine and its predecessors have been investigating the realities of architecture. At first voicing a specific world view and engagement (Catholic traditionalism); later mounting the barricades of equal opportunities for all citizens (and its design consequences); eventually researching the themes and issues that could and should be addressed by architects and architecture, the forces that shape our world and habitat with or without the conscience intervention of professional designers and planners. In doing so the magazine has gradually changed its rationale: not just presenting what happened in the built environment, not just presenting how things were made, not just creating exposure to the people who did it. Rather than asking what, how and by whom, Archis has always asked the ultimate question to the raison d’être of architecture as a medium of culture: Why?

1929 The (Dutch) Roman Catholic Building Magazine (Roomsch Katholiek Bouwblad) is founded.
[1948 Good Living (Goed Wonen), a Dutch monthly magazine for quality home furnishings starts up.]
1960 The Roman Catholic Building Magazine becomes the Magazine for Architecture and Visual Arts (Tijdschrift voor architectuur en beeldende kunsten).

1968 The Magazine for Architecture and Visual Arts becomes TABK, a Dutch-Belgian magazine for architecture and visual arts.
1969 Wonen, a Dutch monthly for living and lifestyle succeeds the magazine Good Living (Goed Wonen), a monthly for quality home furnishings started in 1948
1973 Wonen and TABK merge to produce Wonen TA/BK a Dutch magazine for housing and surroundings, 24 issues per year.
1982 Wonen TA/BK finds a new focus - architecture, urbanism and visual arts.
1986 Wonen TA/BK becomes Archis, monthly magazine for architecture, urbanism and the visual arts (published in Dutch).
1993 Archis architectuur/architecture, stedebouw/urbanism, beeldende kunst/visual arts (published as one bi-lingual magazine in Dutch and English).
1997 Archis architectuur/architecture, stad/city, beeldcultuur/visual culture.
2001-present Archis International as bimonthly is published in separate Dutch and English versions
2005 Volume, independent bimonthly for architecture to go beyond itself, continues Archis and becomes all English

Web History

Since 1996 Archis was online with its own website.
From 1996 till 2001 designed and edited by Just Schimmelpenninck.
In 2003 an innovative new website and database design by Mattmo came online. With an intuitive interface you could navigate the thematic organized content of the Archis archive. This website design received the Bronze Medal Interactive Media Design 2004, from ID Magazine. In 2004 Mattmo added an extra HTML interface and the ‘Splash page’ for direct information and as portal for the ‘pro’ and ‘lite’ database. This ‘lite’ version was more text based and more accessible than the often hard to navigate ‘pro’ version. In 2007 Archis needed more freedom in its web environment, and decided to commission Resource Studio to restructure and redesign the Archis website.

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