The Bossche School

Dom Hans van der Laan studied architecture. In 1927 he entered the monastic life at Oosterhout Abbey. In 1968, he relocated to Vaals Abbey, where he died on 19 August 1991. Between 1945 and 1973 he and his brother Nico led studies in ‘Ecclesiastical Architecture’, aspiring to rediscover the values and principles of genuine architecture. Dom van der Laan’s legacy is encapsulated in The Bossche School. His theory of ‘architectural space’ has been met with universal acclaim. It continues to circulate around the globe today and is taught at universities from Cape Town to Yale. In 1977 he published his life’s work, entitled ‘Architectural Space’. Dom Hans van der Laan sought a system that represented a general norm for sizes and measurements.

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