J.A. van der Kloes (1845-1935): A professional biography of the first Dutch professor in building materials

J.A. van der Kloes (1845-1935): A professional biography of the first Dutch professor in building materials

Quist, W.J.

Architecture and The Built Environment

Architectural Engineering +Technology

2015-06-03

Prof. Jacobus Alida van der Kloes (1845-1935) was appointed teacher in building materials at the “Polytechnische school” of Delft in 1882. From 1905 until his retirement in 1915 he was promoted to full professor on the subject of knowledge and research of building materials at the “Technische Hoogeschool Delft”, the predecessor of the current Delft University of Technology. Van der Kloes is well known in the Netherlands for his – over one thousand pages - magnum opus “Onze Bouwmaterialen” (Our Building Materials) that was first published in 1893 and followed by a revised edition in 1908 and followed by a third revised edition in 1923. Less known is that, together with different academic and professional co-authors, he published several manuals for craftsmen, for building in the Dutch colonies and reports on different topics. His manual for the bricklayer and stonemason has even been translated and published into English and German. Also other publications in German, English and French are known, for example in the journal of the International Association for Testing Materials. Van der Kloes was editor in chief of the (weekly magazine “De Ambachtsman” (the craftsman), published from 1885 until 1905 and he published frequently in other Dutch architectural magazines such as “Bouwkundige Bijdragen” and “Architectura”. Many of his magazine publications cover topics of new inventions, discussions on durability of certain materials, testing methods or techniques for good craftsmanship. Recent publications and reports on early twentieth century architecture and building materials suggest that prof. Van der Kloes was the one and only authority in the field of building materials in the Netherlands and that he, almost personally, invented all new techniques and materials. This paper investigates whether this is true or a myth by describing, categorizing and analyzing his writings. By looking at his international publications and the references used in his books, his oeuvre will be compared to other international academic and professional writers on building materials. This paper highly benefits from the collection of the Library of Delft University of Technology, which holds an original copy of most of Van der Kloes’ writings.

Van der Kloes
biography
bibliography
craftmanship
building materials
Delft University of Technology

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f0f7561c-2a22-4258-bdea-02b5eb5ae94a

Construction History Society of America

978-1-329-15035-5

5 ICCH: Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Construction History, Chicago, USA, 3-7 June 2015; Authors version

Institutional Repository

conference paper

(c) 2015 Quist, W.J.