From Bouw en Techniek to de 8 en Opbouw. The two Journals of Entrepreneur J. van Creveld

Abstract

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.