Half Bowl Outdoor Planter

Transcending the Zeitgeist

From an early age, the life of the young Dutchman Hans van der Laan was driven by one central question: ‘How can I know everything as it is?’. After leaving his architectural studies at TU Delft, he joined a Benedictine monastery at the age of 23. Naturally, this gave Van der Laan plenty of time for contemplation, but it also gave him time to practically test the architectural theory he had developed in his life’s work – four monasteries and a house. His system of proportion, the basis of order and symmetry on which he envisioned that an architect could design regardless of the spirit of the times, still resonates with architects around the world.

The Abbey of St. Benedictusberg near the Dutch town of Vaals, where Van der Laan resided until his death in 1991, is probably the architect-monk’s most important work. Often described as part of sensory architecture, Van der Laan believed in creating an atmosphere where experience was central. As a ‘modern primitive’, as author Richard Padovan called him in his biography of the late architect, Van der Laan often preferred to work with bricks, timber and other readily available Dutch building materials.

Van der Laan’s search for an aesthetic language transcends an era or style, and the idea of using proportion to create timeless works is one that resonates with us and is something we strive for in our own pieces. Choosing rough materials devoid of decoration and relying on proportion and light to create wonders is something we hope Van der Laan would approve of.