[RE] Connecting with Colonial Architecture

Building a digital source database and research environment for European colonial architecture and planning (1850-1970) 

From September 2011 until September 2014 the chair of IHAAU/History and TU Delft Library are building a multilingual database containing digitised resources (printed material, still and moving images, archives) about European architecture and town plans realised in European colonies from 1850 until 1970.

Hiatus architectural history

The rationale for this project is that although since the 1980s various studies on European colonial architecture and urbanism built between 1850 and 1970 have been produced, the emergence and significance of colonial modern architecture and planning in a national and international context is often missing. In this respect research on colonial architecture and urbanism greatly lags behind other historical studies.  

Digital research environment

To overcome the geographic, economic and language barriers that are the predominant causes of this hiatus – separating researchers and their resources – the chair of IHAAU/History initiated the construction of an open access multilingual digital research environment that facilitates online access to digitised sources: printed material (primary and secondary publications, legislative texts, congress reports, maps), archives and still and moving images.

Transnational comparative research

The online research environment offers researchers worldwide online access to relevant and often geographically dispersed research sources. As such it will generate, stimulate and facilitate international and comparative research about colonial architecture and planning built between 1850 and 1970. By offering digital access to digitised sources on European colonial architecture and planning the source database will also stimulate and enrich the debate about issues related to present day design and policymaking, notably the assessment, management and usage of this particular heritage.  

Relevant literature

Overview 

To build the digital resource database and to develop the research environment the chair of IHAAU/History and TU Delft Library collaborate with (inter)national partners (see ‘Links’). The project is supervised by dr Cor Wagenaar. Dr Pauline K.M. van Roosmalen is responsible for its day-to-day management.