Invented from Copies: Blueprints, Whiteprints, Zips and Photocopies in the Architectural Office, 1870-2000

By Ellen Smit

Reappraising the role of photocopies and reproductions in design process, as explored through previously unseen visual material from five Dutch architects

For architects and designers, copies and reproductions are much more than mere duplicates. They are a source of innovation and inspiration. From blueprints and whiteprints to colorful adhesive films (Zips) and photocopies, copying techniques have fundamentally transformed the way architects work. Radically discarding the idea that reproductions are inferior to the "authentic original," Invented from Copies evinces how analog copies and reproductions enriched creative practice in architecture from the invention of the blueprint to the present, through the practices of Pierre Cuypers, Gerrit Rietveld, Van den Broek en Bakema, Carel Weeber and Jo Coenen. Featuring a wealth of unpublished material, Invented from Copies is an indispensable source of new insights for architects, designers, historians and collection managers alike.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9462089558
• ISBN13: 9789462089556
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Nai010 Publishers
• Length: 240 Pages