What is UME?  UME is an independent international architecture magazine edited, produced, published and wholly owned by Haig Beck and Jackie Cooper. Between 1996 and 2007, 21 issues of UME were published: UME 1-7 are out of print but UME 8-21 are in stock. In 2007 UME went online, with all 21 issues available – free – as PDF downloads. From 2008 UME will be a digital magazine available only online as high-res downloads, again free.

The transition to digital, with readers able to download pages of their choice, brings UME full-circle in a sense. UME started in 1992 as a portfolio of ‘hand-printed’ loose pages collected in a box. We made three editions of UME in a box as a precursor to the finely printed hardcopy magazine. This early, limited edition UME was laboriously and experimentally hand-photocopied, and the loose-leaf folios stored in a cedar box.

UME, the hardcopy magazine, is about the drawings architects make to build their designs. Generally the emphasis is on showing the working drawings. Photographs of the buildings are intentionally in black and white (often as duotones) rather than colour, in order to present designers’ ideas in as abstract a manner as possible. All drawings published in UME are extensively edited digitally to clarify the design intentions without diminishing appreciation of the constructive logic underpinning works, and their materiality. Digital editing of a single drawing can take days and sometimes even weeks, and this determines an irregular publishing schedule.

Issues are 72 pages; the format of the magazine is 270mm square. There is no advertising. UME is printed on 130gsm high-quality art paper. It is thread-sewn in 12-page sections, with a 270gsm art board cover with flaps and spine. Graphic design is by Garry Emery, one of the great typographers (www.emerystudio.com.au). UME was printed by the industry award-winning art printer, Toth Bienk, Melbourne, Australia, on a single-colour Heidelberg off-set press, inking manually adjusted, two pages to view at a time.

UME is not a journal of record, nor is it engaged in marketing architectural trends. UME takes a position: architecture is particular to its place and time; it finds its form through typology and its aesthetic expression through tectonics.

Architectural editing and publishing constitutes a cultural act for us. Architectural magazines – whether hardcopy or online – have the potential to provide a crucial intermediary step in the progression of ideas from hypotheses to theories to built demonstrations. As editors, we foster and direct architectural research. We play our part in the greater architectural discourse through the selection of architectural works and texts, the writing of critiques, and the promotion of theoretical propositions and practical demonstrations.

We hope readers use UME as a resource to investigate other architects’ design ideas and develop them in their own work.

What does UME mean?  Many architecture magazines are known familiarly by their acronyms: AD, AR, BD, A+U, AA, AJ, JA, GA… When we launched UME in 1996, we decided against a descriptive name and went straight for the acronym. Playing around with a word, we inverted ‘emu’ and invented a (false) acronym, UME. Typographically, the three letters produce a nice asymmetrical balance that works equally well in upper and lower case. After the fact we discovered that UME means ‘plum’ in Japanese and ‘us’ in pidgin, positive associations.

Why is UME online?  It has always been our policy that the material in the magazine should be widely available to architects, academics and students. As we claim on the masthead: ‘There is no restriction on copying any part of UME for teaching or personal use. Please credit appropriately.’ By the time we published UME 20, not only had we amassed a considerable architectural design resource but also all of the early issues were out of print. We want designers and students to continue to be able to use UME, so we created the website and made it free to download everything we have published.

At the heart of the UME website is a database developed by Mark Carew of Magic Wand Department, Brisbane (markcarew@magicwanddept.com.au). To explore the database, go to the UME home page and click on Index.

Our previous publications, International Architect and UME in a box, will also be available online in the future. There are 18 issues of International Architect (published in London from 1979 until 1986) and three detailed portfolios forming UME in a box (1992).

Haig Beck, editor/publisher Born Brisbane 1944. Studied architecture at Queensland Institute of Technology (and co-edited Scarab magazine); and subsequently at the Architectural Association School, London,
1971-1973. Assistant Technical Editor on the Architects’ Journal, 1970-1971. Appointed joint editor (with Martin Spring) of Architectural Design, 1976; sole editor, 1977-1979. Turned AD around with eclectic thematic issues that were critiques of Modernism. Following editorial disagreements with AD’s publisher, resigned and launched International Architect with Jackie Cooper in 1979, promoting discourse on regionalism, national identity and cultural continuity in architecture. Returned to Australia 1986. Appointed professor and head of school at the University of Melbourne (1993-1996), where he remains a professorial fellow. Launched UME with Jackie Cooper, 1996.

Jackie Cooper, associate editor  Born London 1950. Raised in Australia. Studied communications at Polytechnic of Central London, 1969-1972, then worked in the Architectural Association Communications Unit led by Dennis Crompton (video, exhibitions, publications) until 1979. Assisted Haig Beck in the production of AD. Launched International Architect with him, 1979, publishing 18 issues in London before returning together to Australia in 1986. Has collaborated with Haig Beck on map guides, catalogues, articles, chapters and books on architecture, as well as writing and publishing UME. Also writes about graphic design, contemporary jewellery design and sculpture.

Point Lookout, Stradbroke Island  We live and work at Point Lookout on Stradbroke Island. It’s the second largest sand island in the world and lies to the east of Brisbane, Australia. Point Lookout is small town built around a rocky outcrop flanked by surf beaches and bush. It’s hardly the centre of the world but that is the point. Email and broadband make it easy to remain in contact while being at arm’s length. When we need to, we can be at an international airport in a couple of hours.

While islands are by definition isolated, Stradbroke Island has some surprisingly strong architectural connections. Many Queensland architects have houses at Point Lookout and many other architects visit. Like all islands near growing mainland populations, Stradbroke is vulnerable to exploitation by over-development and inappropriate urban infrastructure. We are involved in the movement to preserve Stradbroke’s peace and natural beauty for future generations.

To order UME You will find UME in a few select architectural bookshops around the world. Otherwise order UME from us directly. UME 8-21 are available. For details, go to the UME home page and click Orders.