About Deutsches Architektenblatt

Deutsches Architektenblatt

The Deutsches Architektenblatt (DAB) is the official members' journal of the Bundesarchitektenkammer and Germany's 16 state chambers of architects, and with a distributed circulation of around 140,000 copies it is the highest-circulation specialist journal for architecture in the country. Founded in 1969, it serves architects, interior architects, landscape architects and urban planners with professional, career and policy information, combining building technology, professional practice, continuing education and legal coverage. The journal appears four times a year in print, each issue distributed to all registered members of the chambers of architects, while twelve annual themes are developed digitally on the dabonline.de platform. Since January 2026 the brand has been produced by the content marketing agency Vogel Corporate Solutions under editor-in-chief Eva Maria Herrmann, as part of a multichannel relaunch of the title.

Overview

The DAB's unique position derives from its institutional role: as the official organ of the federal and state chambers of architects, it reaches virtually every registered architect, interior architect, landscape architect and urban planner in Germany. The distributed circulation of around 140,000 copies (IVW Q3/2024) makes it not only the largest architecture journal in Germany but, according to the publisher, the largest European information publication for architects. This chamber-based distribution gives the journal an authority and reach that commercial architecture magazines cannot match.

The editorial programme serves the professional needs of its readers across four dimensions: specialist knowledge, professional practice, career development and professional policy. Regular topics include building technology and construction, refurbishment and modernisation, professional practice and electronic working aids, continuing education, building defect case collections, building materials and product information, and a legal section. The job market, published in the proven print circulation four times a year and complemented by the online job portal, is one of the most important recruitment channels for architecture practices in Germany.

The publishing model has evolved significantly in recent years. While the journal was long a monthly magazine, it now appears as a quarterly print magazine with thematically curated, more extensive issues that leave room for discourse, while twelve annual themes are developed continuously on the website. The 16 state chambers maintain the regional sections of the magazine, ensuring that members receive both national coverage and news from their own chamber. The biweekly DAB Update newsletter delivers selected content to subscribers' inboxes, and the brand is active on LinkedIn and Instagram.

History

The Deutsches Architektenblatt was founded at the end of the 1960s as the joint publication of the Bundesarchitektenkammer (BAK), the federal community of Germany's chambers of architects, and the 16 state chambers. From the beginning it was conceived as the official members' journal, distributed to all registered members, and it grew with the profession into the largest architecture journal in the country.

The publishing arrangements have changed several times. In 2007 the Düsseldorf-based corps Corporate Publishing Services, a company of the Handelsblatt publishing group, took over the publishing responsibility for the traditional monthly magazine, developing it editorially and visually in cooperation with the publisher's editorial advisory board. Later, Solutions by Handelsblatt Media held the account, before a multi-stage tender process led to the appointment of Vogel Corporate Solutions (VCS), the content marketing agency formed from Axel Springer Corporate Solutions, which took over the editorial, design and digital relaunch and the operational implementation of the media brand in January 2026.

The 2026 relaunch, announced as a fundamental rethinking and repositioning of the title, reflects the changing media habits of the profession: the quarterly print magazine now focuses on curated, discursive content, while the website carries twelve digital annual themes with continuous news, background and classification. Eva Maria Herrmann became editor-in-chief in 2026, leading the Berlin-based editorial team through the transformation. The BAK president Andrea Gebhard described the new DAB as a unique platform for fostering a lively and committed architectural community shaped by a strong sense of togetherness in the chamber family.

Coverage and Content

The DAB's content is organised around the professional life of architects. Building technology and construction coverage follows developments in materials, building physics, sustainable construction and digital planning tools, with the building defect collections providing the case-based learning that is particularly valued by practitioners. Refurbishment and modernisation, one of the largest markets for German architects, receives dedicated coverage reflecting the profession's shift toward building in existing stock.

Professional practice articles address the business of architecture: fee regulations (HOAI), contract law, liability, office management, digital workflows and marketing for practices. The legal section explains court rulings and legislative changes relevant to architects' daily work, from building regulations to copyright in architecture. Continuing education is a standing focus, with the journal supporting the chambers' training mandates by presenting courses, qualifications and professional development paths.

Professional policy coverage follows the work of the Bundesarchitektenkammer and the state chambers: the annual federal chamber assembly, positions on housing policy, building culture and climate protection, and initiatives such as the NAX network for architectural export, which supports German practices in international markets. The regional sections, maintained by the 16 state chambers, carry news from each chamber's territory, from local building culture events to chamber elections and regional award ceremonies.

Organization and Ownership

The Deutsches Architektenblatt is published by the Bundesarchitektenkammer e.V. (BAK), the federal association of Germany's 16 state chambers of architects, based in Berlin. The editorial office is in Berlin, while the regional sections are maintained by the state chambers, each with its own editorial contacts, such as the Hamburg Chamber of Architects' press officer for the Hamburg regional section.

Since January 2026 the operational production has been handled by Vogel Corporate Solutions (VCS), the Berlin-based content marketing agency, under editor-in-chief Eva Maria Herrmann. The agency won a multi-stage tender with a multichannel concept, taking over from Solutions by Handelsblatt Media. The publisher's editorial advisory board works with the agency on the journal's editorial direction, ensuring that the chambers' institutional voice is preserved through the commercial production arrangement.

The business model combines the chamber-based distribution, which guarantees the extraordinary circulation, with advertising from the building products industry, software providers and other suppliers to the architecture profession, as well as the job market in print and online. The media data document the readership structure in detail, providing the verified basis for the advertising business. As the official organ of the chambers, the journal balances institutional communication with independent journalism on professional topics.

Digital Presence

The platform dabonline.de is the digital centre of the brand, carrying the twelve annual themes with continuously updated news, background and analysis from the profession, as well as the regional content of the state chambers. The website hosts the online job portal, the archive of past issues and the regional sections, functioning as both a news site and a service platform for the profession.

The biweekly DAB Update newsletter delivers a selection of the most important content directly to subscribers' inboxes, building a regular reading habit between the quarterly print issues. On social media, the brand uses LinkedIn as the central platform for debates, classification and reach in the professional policy environment, and Instagram for concise impulses, trends and perspectives. The 2026 relaunch explicitly positioned the digital channels as equal pillars alongside print: the quarterly magazine provides the curated, discursive depth, while the website, newsletter and social channels deliver speed, continuity and community interaction for Germany's architectural profession.